Mind Games
by MantaI-305Apollo'sChariot
Summary: When two people from Elsa's past show up in Arendelle, she isn't sure whether to feel delighted or upset. Then two old enemies now working together manage to capture both her and Anna. But everything isn't as it seems. Elsa will have to rely on her wits rather than her powers to solve the puzzle. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Awkward Reunion

**A/N: Thanks for clicking on my story!:) This is a direct sequel to 'Adventures of Elsa and Anna' (hopefully my writing is better now than it was in that!:P), but I'll try to keep it so it can be read on its own.**

 **If you're reading this on its own, let me just go ahead and say the two "big" things that are left over from 'AoE &A'. Number 1, the Annual Crocus Festival is simply a large celebration in Arendelle near the end of summer. Elsa has made an ice amusement park for it. And number 2, Elsa has a broken arm that's still healing from an incident in chapter 26-27 in AoE&A. Other than that, I think everything should make sense on its own.:)**

 **Oh yeah, and Arendelle is on the Canadian side of Lake Erie. (It's still its canon movie self though.:))**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"Elsa, there's a small ship that just came into the fjord!" Anna exclaimed, pointing out at the fjord.

Elsa, who had made a small ice amusement park for the Annual Crocus Festival, turned from her icy control panel that let her run all of her rides from one place. _I wasn't expecting any guests. Maybe someone is here for the last few hours of the festival?_ It was now almost six P.M., and the festival would officially end at midnight, although Elsa was sure some festivities would continue far into the wee hours of the morning.

Elsa had no intentions of staying out way after midnight. Just…no. Elsa planned to serve barbeque chicken and absolutely no wine at _her_ home in Arendelle castle, but she knew many other people in the kingdom would probably get a bit…tipsy later on. She didn't want any part of that, grown-up girl at age twenty-one or not. "Why don't you run and investigate? If it's someone here for the festival, bring him or her here," Elsa suggested.

"What if they want to see _you_?" Anna asked.

"Then whoever it is will have to wait until eight. That's when I'm going to shut down all of my rides. I won't destroy them or anything, but they can't run without me here, and I'm not staying out all night." Elsa smiled and went on tapping the blue snowflakes on her master control panel, easily keeping the entire "park" she had made going. She watched Anna run towards the fjord for a moment before going back to running the rides. _I wonder who's here…_

* * *

A while later, Elsa jumped when someone started talking right next to her…who was not Anna. Luckily Elsa didn't press any of the snowflakes for the rides at the wrong time. _Who is that?!_ Elsa forced herself not to stare in surprise at the young girl standing right next to her. _Why did she come up here? I don't mind, but no one has tried to come up on this platform all afternoon._

"How did you get to be queen? Y'know, with your powers and all?" the girl asked. She brushed her long black hair out of her eyes and stood with her hands on her hips. "'Cause I want to know."

"I…I officially became queen when I turned twenty-one," Elsa replied, feeling totally confused. _This girl doesn't sound like she dislikes my powers, but she_ does _sound like she thinks it's 'wrong' that someone like me with powers is in charge. Almost like someone told her the idea and she's questioning it._

"I know _that_! What do you think I am, a moron?" The girl's green eyes flashed in anger. "I want to know why you were allowed to be queen when you have ice powers," the girl clarified. " _I_ think it's wicked awesome, but some people think powers are unnatural and bad and all, you know?"

Elsa was now officially puzzled. First the girl insulted her by insinuating she wasn't fit to be queen, and then she said Elsa's ice powers were 'wicked awesome'. _What on earth? I don't understand…_ Elsa made sure she could leave the control panel alone safely for a moment before turning to the girl. She came to just below Elsa's own shoulder height, and Elsa judged her to be around ten or eleven. "Miss, before I say anything more to you, I should like to know your name," Elsa said in a friendly voice. _Just because this girl is a bit rude doesn't mean I have to be._

"My name is K-…I'm not gonna tell you!" the girl announced. "I don't want to. So I shan't."

"Then I don't think I am going to be able to answer any questions," Elsa said, starting to turn back to her control panel for the rides. _If she's that curious about me, she'll tell me her name now._

"Wait, Snow Queen!"

Elsa's eyes grew big at that title. _Only Anna calls me that sometimes. And I refer to myself as that sometimes. Why would…duh. Lots of people probably think of me as the Snow Queen and just don't say so. This girl is just the only one who's willing to call me that outright._ "Yes?" she asked.

"My name is Kiara," the girl announced, as if daring Elsa to cross her. "Kiara. My name is Kiara."

* * *

Down at the dock, Anna bounced from one foot to the other, impatiently waiting for someone to disembark from that small ship. Finally, finally, Anna watched as one man stepped onto the dock and walked towards her. "Hi! Welcome to Arendelle. I'm Princess Anna!" Anna announced. "We're still having the Annual Crocus Festival till midnight, so if you'd like to join in and celebrate with us, then…ahem. Excuse me," she finished, realizing she was starting to ramble.

"I am just a messenger, Princess Anna," the man said. "I am to tell you that two visitors wish to speak with Queen Elsa as soon as possible."

"El- _Queen_ Elsa is busy running the ice amusement park she made until eight," Anna explained. "But I know she'll be happy to speak with her guests then. You all could come to the castle around eight-thirty," she offered.

"Ice amusement park?!" the man asked incredulously.

"Yeah! See?" Anna pointed at the icy rides sparkling in the fading daylight. "My sister's ice Top Thrill Dragster is really cool. You fly at 120 miles an hour and she can pause the train at the top and everything! Maybe you and our other visitors could come try it."

The man looked. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

Anna frowned. _I thought everyone knew about Elsa's powers, didn't they?_

* * *

A few minutes later, Anna gave up trying to get the messenger and his still-unknown guests to come to the festival and she ran back to tell Elsa what was going on.

"Hey Elsa, who are you talking to?" Anna asked, noticing the young girl, Kiara, standing next to her sister.

"This is Kiara. She's just watching me run the…" Elsa suddenly realized Kiara had disappeared. "Kiara? It's just my sister, Anna. You don't have to be scared of her," Elsa said softly, figuring the girl had to be nearby.

"I'm not scared," Kiara spat as she popped up from behind the other side of Elsa's ice control panel. Her tanned skin hid the hot blushing of her cheeks. "I don't _do_ scared."

Elsa ignored this. _Kiara is scared about something. She's hiding it under all that rude tough-girl exterior and anger. I wish I knew why she was acting like that. I wonder if she is genuinely angry or if that's acting too._ "Well then. Anna, this is Kiara. Kiara, this is Anna," Elsa introduced the two of them to each other.

"You're that rude little girl who knew about electricity and helped us in the castle courtyard several days ago," Anna blurted.

Kiara's expression hardened. "I didn't know helping somebody was so wrong, even if they're a naïve princess," she shot back. "And I'm eleven. Bet you wouldn't have liked being called a _little girl_ when _you_ were eleven."

"Kiara! My sister was wrong to call you rude like that, but the issue is, you _are_ being rude," Elsa said firmly. "Please apologize to my sister and we can just move on."

"Never mind. You're just like everyone else." Kiara abruptly turned and ran off down the icy stairs leading up to the platform.

"I thought you'd be different, Snow Queen," Elsa was sure she heard Kiara's slightly bitter voice mutter as the girl ran off.

Elsa frowned. Part of her wanted to smack that girl upside the head, but another part of her was quite sure there was more to that girl than it appeared. She was rude, yes, very much so…but Elsa couldn't shake Kiara's last comment out of her mind. _'I thought you'd be different, Snow Queen.' Someone has mistreated her somehow, and for some odd reason, she latched on to the idea that I wouldn't. And I messed that up by trying to explain that she was being rude to Anna and should apologize._ Elsa watched Kiara vanish into the crowd of people and bit her lip, wishing she had said something else. _Except…I know I really didn't say anything wrong. It just didn't come off very well._

"Why do you care what happens to that little girl?" Anna asked. "She was rude to you, too!"

"I don't know, Anna. It's just…I see something else under all that annoying rudeness. Maybe she acts like that because someone's done something to her. She was wearing that same raggedy brown dress the first time we saw her too. Or maybe she's an orphan, or…I don't know. I'm just saying I would be very, very surprised if she acts like that 'just because', that's all," Elsa explained. "And not that I have any room to talk, since _nobody_ in Arendelle looks anything like me, but Kiara doesn't even really look like she's from here." _I want to find Kiara and talk to her again. Maybe I could at least get her a proper dress or something._

Elsa heard the clock tower strike eight o'clock, and she systematically began shutting her rides down until all the snowflakes stopped their blue glowing. "So, who did the visitors turn out to be?" she asked.

"Oh. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I actually don't know, but there was a messenger guy, and he said whoever our visitors are must speak with you. I said you'd talk to them around eight-thirty in the castle," Anna told her.

"Then we have to hurry home! It's eight right now."

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, Elsa sat on her throne in the Great Hall with Anna sitting on an ice throne Elsa had made for her right next to her. "I'll just wait here for the next five minutes," Elsa said with a slight smile. "I hope the meeting doesn't take too long…I can't wait till we have our own barbeque chicken dinner. And yes, I know that's completely childish of me."

Anna giggled. "I can't wait for our barbeque chicken dinner, either. I don't think that's childish."

"Who do you think our visitors are?" Elsa asked suddenly.

"I dunno, but the messenger either was surprised to see your ice-rides at all, or was surprised to find out you had ice powers," Anna said. "So it's definitely someone who's not 'up with the times'."

 _I thought everyone knew I had ice powers by now…that's really strange…_ Elsa frowned and said nothing.

Just then, Kai entered the Great Hall, and Elsa sat up straight. "Our visitors are here?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, Queen Elsa…they are here. They are here," Kai said in an odd tone that sounded slightly agitated.

Elsa bit her lip as her two visitors walked into the Great Hall. _Why did Kai sound agitated like that? That is so strange._ A second later, she had her answer. Elsa's eyes grew big as she stared at the two visitors. _They look like Mom and Dad?! But they're dead! They died three years ago in that shipwreck! I'm imagining this, right?_

"Mom? Dad?" Anna asked in confusion.

Elsa finally knew just how to find out whether these were really her thought-to-be-dead parents or not. _I just need to ask a question that only either Mom or Dad could answer…and I can't think of anything at the moment. Well…_ She decided to just go ahead and ask the one (depressing) question that had popped into her head. "If you're really who I think you are, you can answer this…how many times did you put me in the…in the dungeon?"

Anna jerked her gaze toward her sister at that question. _What kind of question is that, Elsa? If this is really Mom and Dad and_ that's _the first thing Elsa thinks of…not good. Not good, not good, not good. They're triggering her to think of bad memories…_

"Twice," their father answered instantly. "Once when you were seventeen and once when you were eighteen."

Elsa immediately stood up and dropped a curtsy. _That's really them. I know it is. They're not dead! They're alive. Really, truly alive! But…will they like me now? Am I 'acceptable' now since I can control my powers or am I still going to be considered…messed up? Well, I'm going to hope for the best._ She stepped down from the throne dais and nodded for Anna to do the same.

At Elsa's nod, Anna decided this meant that she should run and give her parents a hug. Surely they could all be one happy family together now. _Dad can't possibly still not like Elsa. She's completely in control and everything._

Elsa's reaction was a bit more subdued. "Welcome home to Arendelle…Mama…Papa," the old childhood names Elsa called her parents slipped out. _Please like me. I'm happy with who I am now, so please, please, please be happy with me, too. Please._ She walked over to her parents hugging Anna and hesitantly held out her left hand.

Anna frowned. _Elsa loves hugs…and she's trying to get Mom and Dad to shake her hand._ "Elsa likes hugs now," she put in, trying to be helpful.

* * *

But no one moved. Elsa waited a seemingly endless minute before adding, "I'm sorry it's the wrong hand," hoping that was the reason neither her mother nor her father were shaking her hand. She glanced down at her right arm, which she had broken nine days before, resting in its sling. _I wish that would heal completely already…_

Elsa was about to give up when her father finally shook her hand. _Thank you, Dad._ Elsa's sweet smile faded a moment later at the next thing she heard.

"No gloves?" Agdar asked.

Elsa jerked her hand away as if she had been burned. _What? That_ is _a fair question-Dad hasn't seen me for three years-but…something's wrong. I know it. I just know it. He almost sounds…disappointed?_

"Why are you wearing that ice-dress?" Idun asked.

"I suppose everyone in Arendelle knows about your powers then?" Agdar asked.

Elsa felt tears burning in her eyes. _Nothing's changed. They haven't accepted me. I'm still just messed up and have a problem I should hide to them. Why did I ever hope otherwise?_ "Please excuse me." Elsa turned and speed-walked towards the door. She needed to get out of there. She didn't fit in anymore, not with her parents back, who evidently still didn't like her. Elsa paused in the doorway, her left hand pressed against the doorframe. "Mom, Dad…you don't have to be scared of me or dislike me anymore. I can control it now," she said softly. Then she turned and ran, ignoring Anna calling for her to come back. _Anna can be happy with our parents back, but I can't. What's going to happen to me? Am I even queen anymore? I can't be kept locked up in my room again; I just can't! Please no. I was finally happy with Anna after the Great Thaw and now I'm afraid everything is ruined again. I want to be happy Mom and Dad are back, but…_

Elsa made it into her room before her tears finally overflowed. _I was willing to just forget the past and start new, but it didn't help. Not one bit. I have to get out of here, at least for a little while. Wait, I know where I can go. I'll go to my ice palace. Just for a little while._ She plopped down at her desk and began painstakingly printing a note with her left hand to tell Anna what she was going to do.

* * *

Back downstairs in the Great Hall, Anna was downright angry. She had seen that awful hurt expression on Elsa's face just before she had left, and it made Anna hurt inside herself. And made Anna absolutely angry. "You hurt Elsa. Again," Anna said quietly. Then louder, as if she couldn't quite believe it, "You hurt Elsa! _Again!_ " She paused for a moment before continuing, "What did she ever do to you to make you treat her like that?! Just be born _different_?! Just because she has ice powers?! That isn't fair! She's a human girl with feelings and wants, same as me or anyone else. Did you even _see_ her face just now?! You. Hurt. _Elsa!_ Again! I want to be happy my parents I thought were dead are back home again, but if you're going to hurt Elsa, I can't be happy. I just can't." Anna pulled herself away from her parents and started toward the doors to the Great Hall.

"What happened to Elsa's arm?" Idun asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Anna scowled. "Why didn't you ask Elsa that instead of picking on her for being _herself_? I know Elsa would have gladly answered that question. But no, you guys started picking on her dress, her powers, and not wearing gloves. All the things that she's the most sensitive about. _You hurt my sister_! Didn't you hurt her enough for all those years when she was little?! Elsa never, _ever_ did anything to deserve being treated like that! I know what happened with that accident and stuff now. That was NOT Elsa's fault! But nooo, you punished poor Elsa for a _decade_ just because she was the one who was born different! Elsa's powers are part of who she is. You can't just take that away from her! My big sister has ice powers, and I love her just the way she is! So there."

"Anna, I'm sorry for asking her about the ice-dress. You have to understand it's a bit…overwhelming to come back and find the terrified eighteen-year-old girl we left behind is now a confident twenty-one-year-old girl wearing a sparkling blue dress that, quite honestly, is rather scandalous. Elsa's powers rather scared me before," Idun admitted. "She couldn't control them at all; her room would freeze over seemingly at random. It was awful."

"You shouldn't get so close to Elsa. It isn't safe," Agdar put in.

"It was awful for Elsa, you mean," Anna said, crossing her arms. Thinking that explaining how her sister had ended up with a broken arm might leave Elsa in a better light than before, Anna added, "Elsa ended up with a broken arm because there were these criminals with superpowers that captured me. She offered to trade herself in exchange for me. But the lead criminal guy just threw her through the air, breaking her arm in the process. I'm just glad she didn't get hurt any worse…so yeah, that's what happened." Anna paused for a moment before saying, "I'm thinking you guys genuinely don't know this, so I'm going to say it. Elsa is really sensitive, and she gets hurt easily. She just doesn't always show it. You saw Elsa simply leaving the room, but she was really upset. She's probably upstairs crying her heart out…and I gotta go help make her feel better…" Anna took off out of the Great Hall toward the stairs in search of Elsa. _Don't be upset, Elsa…I'm coming._

 **A/N: Okay, so...awkward reunion at best.:/ That happened.:P**

 **Please let me know what you think of Kiara. This is my first time writing an OC, and I really, really don't want her to be a Mary Sue. (Granted, she isn't particularly likable, but still.:P) I promise Kiara will not take over the story from Elsa and Anna.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	2. Let's Try Again Tomorrow

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thank you to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **CieloFede-Yay, Kiara is interesting! Kiara's backstory is going to be in little snippets since I still want to focus on Elsa and Anna, not Kiara.:) Yeah, Agdar and Idun are still stuck with that image of 18-year-old Elsa...and neither of them are comfortable around her because of her powers.:/ They've made Anna angry, too.:P**

 **bananas-rule-2015-Awesome!:) It just sounded redundant when I tried to stick that info in the story, lol.:P And of course I said thank you...I'm SUPPOSED to do that!:)**

 **mctiffanygamingmc-Lol, here is more:)**

 **TheJewelofJool-I can just _see_ Elsa's ice TTD in my head. Epic awesomeness.;) Thank you for favoriting!:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

Elsa jumped when she heard Anna coming into Anna's room. _I wanted to be out of here before Anna found me…_ "Anna, please just…leave me alone at the moment," she said finally.

Anna spotted the note in her sister's hand and grabbed for it. "Elsa, what is this? Are you running away again?" She quickly read through the note; then just dropped it on the floor and hugged Elsa close. "You can't go stay in your ice palace, Elsa. For one thing, you have a broken arm. You can't go up the North Mountain alone. What if you run into wolves?"

"I just want to…to disappear for a little while," Elsa whispered. "Please don't make me stay here. _Please_. I'll be in a…a cage again." _I can't deal with that again, and it's not fair._ "Mom and Dad still don't approve of me…I'm not surprised, but it still hurts. _Why_ do they still think there's something wrong with me? _Why?!_ " Elsa pulled away from Anna, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What did I do wrong? I can control my powers now. I'm not out of control anymore…"

Anna just scooped her sister up and sat down on her bed, holding Elsa tightly. "Shh, Elsa, it's all right. Everything is going to be all right. Maybe Mom and Dad just have to get used to you," she said, hoping that what her mother had said about simply being 'overwhelmed' was true. There _had_ been a lot of changes in Arendelle since their parents had been there last. And she still had no idea where they had been for all this time, either. _And Elsa won't be able to deal with her heart being broken all over again. Even now, she thinks she's the one that did something wrong._ "You are a lot different-in a good way!-than the last time they saw you."

"They just think I'm messed up," Elsa mumbled through her tears. "I don't want to…to be put in my room again…" _Elsa, get it together. Anna doesn't think you're messed up, you yourself don't think that, most people in Arendelle don't think that. It does_ not _matter._

"You're still the queen, Elsa. Even if Mom and Dad wanted to do that to you, they don't have the authority to. Isn't there some weird law that if the previous monarch has been missing for a certain time and a new monarch is crowned, it can't be 'reversed' or something?" Anna's face brightened, suddenly positive she had found the out for Elsa. _I should have paid better attention during lessons. Then I'd know exactly what that law says. I'm surprised Elsa didn't remember that. She must have just been too upset._

Elsa smiled a bit at that. _Anna is right. I do remember that…I thought it was strange when I first learned about it, but now I am_ so _glad that law exists._ "There is. Thank you, Anna," Elsa said softly. _I don't know what's going to happen with Mom and Dad, but at least I'm guaranteed to still have Anna and my freedom. That's good enough for me._

"Now let's get you to sleep. Or are you hungry?" Anna asked.

"Sleep," Elsa answered promptly. _I don't want to deal with having a 'family meal' tonight…_ "Could I…could I stay in here with you tonight?" she asked shyly.

"Of course you can, Elsa. You're always welcome here," Anna assured her. When Elsa didn't make any move to leave the room, Anna added, "And you can borrow one of my nightgowns if you want. It'll just be a little shorter on you than it is on me. You're such a string bean I don't think it would be too small at all." She found a light green nightgown that looked like the one she'd had when she was five, and handed it to Elsa. "This one's most like that light blue one you wear all the time."

"Thank you, Anna." Elsa hugged the nightgown to her chest and ran into her sister's bathroom to get ready for bed. _I'm so glad I have you with me, Anna._

* * *

The second Elsa came back, Anna helped her into bed and carefully settled her injured arm on a pillow next to her. "See, Elsa, everything's gonna be fine. We'll always be invincible together."

A slightly lopsided smile spread across Elsa's face. "I needed that, Anna. Thank you." _Invincible together. I like that. And it's true._

"How's your arm feeling?" Anna asked, plopping down on the bed next to her sister.

"Annoying," Elsa quipped. Then she added, "Seriously, it's just kind of there. It still aches, but it doesn't really hurt anymore unless I put pressure on it or bump it on something." Elsa glanced at the splint keeping her arm immobilized while it healed, and her eyes filled with tears again. "Why didn't Mom and Dad just ask me what happened to my arm or something instead of…what they said? I wouldn't have minded talking about that…"

"I know you wouldn't have, Elsa," Anna said quietly. "Mom did ask what happened to your arm right after you left. I think she was genuinely concerned." Anna gently brushed Elsa's tears away and gave her a reassuring smile. _I think if Elsa talks to Mom a little, Mom will realize Elsa isn't out of control anymore and that'll be fine. She sounded like she was scared because Elsa was losing control, not really just because Elsa had powers. Mom might not really like Elsa's powers, but I think Elsa can win her over without too much trouble. Now Dad…I don't know. He might be a lost cause. Elsa should stay away from him for now, I think._ "Although it made me mad the one good question I heard out of either of them got asked after they made you upset!"

"Mom cares about me?" Elsa asked hopefully. _Maybe she just needs to get used to me a little._

Because Anna didn't pride herself on people reading, she answered carefully, not wanting to get Elsa's hopes up for nothing. "I don't know exactly what Mom thinks about your powers, but she _was_ concerned about your arm. So she at least cares about you a little bit." _Come on, Elsa, please don't get upset. I'm trying to be honest…_

This was enough for Elsa. "Okay. So do you think maybe if I just talk to Mom a bit, _maybe_ she'll at least tolerate my powers? I know she was scared of me before…" Elsa's voice trailed off. "What about Dad, Anna? What did he say?"

Anna felt a bit unnerved with her sister's intense gaze concentrating on her. _Good grief, Elsa, you stop that._ "Elsa, could you please stop staring at me? You have these big blue eyes that are really expressive and you are STARING at me with them. Do stop it. Please."

"I'm sorry," Elsa said softly. _I unnerved Mom and Dad doing that…I did it on purpose then, but I don't want to scare Anna._ Elsa just closed her eyes and asked again, "What about Dad? What did he say?"

Anna frowned. "You don't have to close your eyes entirely, you silly. I just wanted you to quit staring at me. Now I feel like I'm talking to you while you're sleeping. Could you please stop this too?"

Elsa blinked at her sister in confusion. "Better?" Anna nodded, and Elsa asked her question again.

Anna took Elsa's left hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "Elsa, please just listen, ok? I don't think you should be around Dad very much, at least not right now. Tomorrow I think you should try to reconnect with Mom, but I do _not_ think you should try to talk to Dad yet."

"Dad doesn't like or approve of me at all," Elsa said flatly, her voice completely devoid of emotion. There was no questioning or bitterness in her tone; she just sounded like she was reciting a fact about something. Even Elsa's eyes didn't betray any other feelings this time.

Because Elsa didn't _have_ any other feelings about it now. Perhaps a trace of hurt somewhere deep inside, but other than that, she felt nothing.

"Elsa, I…" Anna started, but she couldn't think of anything to say, because she was fairly certain Elsa was right.

Elsa's expression stayed neutral as she continued, "Dad is not going to hurt me again. Never, ever. I'm going to try to talk to him, like a…normal daughter should, tomorrow; but I am not going to break down if it doesn't work. I can't force Dad to like me." _Maybe I just need to show him I'm not out of control anymore. That might help._

"You already _are_ a 'normal daughter', Elsa," Anna said firmly. "You still love Mom and Dad, I know you do. Just…good grief, Elsa, why on earth are you so forgiving?!" _Elsa is too nice. She's ridiculous, actually! I don't understand how anyone could not like her. If Elsa was MY daughter, I'd be so proud of her and I'd love her to death. She's perfect just like she is._

"You forgave _me_ , Anna," Elsa replied. _How could I not do the same? I literally made Anna freeze to death, and Anna has never, ever blamed me for it._ "Mom and Dad are probably wondering where we've been. Would you please show them to their old room? It's probably really dusty in there, though…I don't know. I don't know where to tell them to go!"

"It isn't dusty in there, sis. Gerda cleans in there every so often. She said any place she's working there's not going to be dust bunnies everywhere, even if nobody sees 'em. Is that where you want me to tell them to go?" Anna asked.

Elsa nodded. "Thank you, Anna," she said, sounding a bit sleepy.

"You're welcome. Go to sleep, Elsa. I can tell you're tired. We'll figure everything out tomorrow." Anna smiled at Elsa and hopped up to leave the room.

"Anna, wait!" Elsa called a moment later. "May I please have a hug before you leave?" she asked quietly. Elsa held out her left arm, wanting Anna to come back just for a minute.

Anna immediately ran over to Elsa and hugged her close. "Are you happy now?" _Elsa's getting all clingy again. It doesn't bother me-I love giving Elsa hugs-but that means she's at least a little bit scared and/or upset._ "Elsa, don't be scared or upset. I won't abandon you, _ever_. You know that. I know you do."

 _I know you won't, Anna. I'm scared of what might happen tomorrow, nothing else. I just needed a hug, that's all._ Elsa smiled a bit and flopped back against the pillows. "I'm fine now. Good night, Anna."

Neither girl realized their mother had heard most of their conversation from out in the hall.

* * *

"Elsa said I should show you to your old room," Anna said, opening the door to her parents' old room. "It's all clean and everything, thanks to Gerda."

"Anna, does your sister always sleep in your room now?" Agdar asked.

Anna made a face. "No, but so what if she did? What do you think Elsa is going to do, freeze me in her sleep? Dad, really, what do you have against her? Most everyone in Arendelle loves her as queen, ice powers and all…" She paused before adding, "Elsa's sleeping in my room tonight because you made her upset. When Elsa gets upset, she gets all clingy and needs lots of hugs. I would assume you didn't know that since you hate her for some reason." Anna crossed her arms, not caring if she was being rude.

"Nobody hates Elsa."

"Yeah, nobody except you!" Anna exclaimed angrily.

"All right, let's just try to share some explanations here," Idun said calmly. "Your father and I have no idea what you girls have been up to for the last three years, and you don't know where we have been either. Maybe you could start from when we left for that supposed two weeks, Anna?"

Anna glared at her father, but she started talking more calmly anyway. "Right after you guys left, I got Elsa to eat breakfast together with me, although she still wouldn't get anywhere near me…Elsa got all excited about _having a meal in the dining hall_ , which is completely ridiculous. I remember Elsa let me touch her shoulder later that day, but absolutely nothing else. She was so scared she was going to hurt me or something. And I didn't have any idea why. For those two weeks, it was like Elsa really, really wanted to spend time with me, but the slightest little thing sent her running into her room. I know now it was 'cause she would lose control if she got upset or anything…And you know what Elsa did when we got the letter that said you guys had never arrived in Weaseltown?!"

"You got a letter that said we had never arrived in Weselton?" Agdar asked, almost angrily. "We've been…oh, never mind."

Anna discarded this comment, intent on telling her parents what had happened. "So we had a funeral and everything, and Elsa didn't come…I'm assuming she froze her room or something, I guess. Anyway, so I came and knocked on her door, and I was just talking, kind of singing, trying to get her to come out, and then Elsa says 'Goodbye Anna', so I was thinking she was going to do you-know-what…and I started trying to tell her not to do that, that no, she wasn't worthless and whatever else; and…and…" Anna's eyes filled with tears at the memory. "Elsa tried to commit suicide!" she finally blurted. "Elsa tried to kill herself! _Elsa tried to commit suicide!_ And it's your fault!" Anna shouted. "I can prove what happened, too!" She marched out of the room, back down the hall to her own room.

* * *

Anna peeked inside to see if Elsa was actually sleeping before tiptoeing inside. "I'll show you," she whispered fiercely. Anna gently picked up Elsa's left hand and pointed at the nearly-invisible pink line on her wrist. "There's a-"

Elsa stirred a bit and blinked sleepily up at Anna. "What's…going on?" She glanced from her sister to her parents in confusion. "Why aren't the three of you sleeping?"

"I…I was telling Mom and Dad what happened after the 'funeral'," Anna said. "And I came in here to-to…" Anna was suddenly very certain that Elsa would not want her showing their parents what she'd been about to show them.

Elsa frowned and ducked her hand under the covers. _Anna, I don't want you showing that faint scar on my wrist to Mom and Dad, especially while I'm sleeping…_ "It's not a big deal, Anna. That was three years ago," she said firmly.

"What are you two hiding?" Idun asked.

Elsa sighed as Anna grabbed her hand again. "I assume Anna already told you what happened. I just have a small scar on my wrist, that's all." _I hate being fussed over, especially about something that happened years ago._ She just closed her eyes, not particularly wanting to see her parents' reactions, if any.

"It's right _there_!" Anna said accusingly, pointing at her sister's wrist. "That's your fault! Elsa hurt herself because of _you_! Elsa deserves all the love in the world and then some, and you never gave it to her! You hurt Elsa for all those years ever since she was eight!"

Elsa abruptly sat up, jerking her hand away from Anna. "Anna, that's enough! Just stop it. Stop it right now. That and everything else horrible that happened before is in the past. We're starting over. Brand-new. I have no idea how long it's going to take for all of us to try to be a family again, but this is definitely not helping. Apologize to Mom and Dad right now, please." _Anna being all angry like this is just going to make everything worse…_

"I didn't say anything that wasn't the truth," Anna replied, crossing her arms. "So I shan't apologize."

Elsa glanced from Anna to her parents and back again. "Okay then…I'm sorry Anna is acting like this. I think maybe…maybe everyone has just had some big misunderstandings here?" She looked hopefully at her father, who just turned partway away and didn't meet her gaze. _Or maybe not. This is hopeless. My family is…broken. Maybe we should all just sleep on this whole thing and try again tomorrow._ Elsa hopped out of bed to announce, "This is what we're doing tonight. Dad, you and Mom are going to go sleep in your room. Anna, you are going to go to sleep in here. You can decide where I will go, Anna. So that's that. Period. We will start over tomorrow. Good night, Mom. Good night, Dad." She made a pointed look at the door, and their parents left. _All right, crisis averted. Although I've probably just moved it to tomorrow._ "Now Anna, where do you want me?"

* * *

Anna stomped over to her door and slammed it shut. "I want my big sister in here with me, even if she's being totally stupid."

Elsa was taken aback at this comment. "What did I do or say that is 'totally stupid'?" she asked quietly. "Stop you from shouting at our parents about a tiny mark on my wrist? Come on, Anna, you know what I did wasn't their fault. At least not completely," Elsa amended, knowing she wasn't being honest with herself if she didn't admit that they _were_ part of the reason she had done that.

"Aha, so it IS partly their fault! You just said so!"

Elsa pulled Anna over to the bed before climbing back under the covers herself. "It was a large combination of things. I don't want to discuss this, but I'm going to say this: I don't want you talking to Mom and Dad about me attempting suicide ever again. _Ever._ That isn't the person I am today, and I'd like to be accepted for present-day me, not that terrified and depressed teenage girl from three years ago. I don't want to be pitied, or make Mom and Dad accept me out of guilt. Just…let it go, okay?" She gave her sister a lopsided smile and stifled a yawn. _Please listen to me, Anna. Please._

"Ok. But it's still stupid!" Anna insisted.

"Promise you'll be nice tomorrow?" Elsa asked. "Will you be nice to Mom and Dad just for me?"

Anna gently pulled Elsa close and put a pillow under Elsa's broken arm to prop it up. "I promise I'll be nice. But only for you." She wrapped one arm protectively around her sister and sighed. _Nobody is going to hurt Elsa ever again. Never, ever. Not while I'm here._

"Thank you, Anna." Elsa paused for a moment; then added in a quiet voice, "You were wrong to say what you did to our parents, but thank you for standing up for me." _No one ever did that for me when I was little. Anna's years late and she doesn't need to do it now, but still._

Anna frowned and held Elsa tighter, but she didn't say anything.

"And thank you for making me feel safe," Elsa said a moment later.

* * *

DOWN THE HALL…

"Anna shouldn't be sleeping in the same room with Elsa. It isn't safe," Agdar said, frowning.

"Agdar, I haven't seen a single snowflake out of Elsa since we've gotten here, not even when she was upset. And she obviously still has her powers…she was wearing that scandalous ice-dress and there was that ice entertainment thing she made for the festival in the marketplace. I don't know how, but she's figured out how to control it," Idun replied.

"And if she makes a mistake?"

Idun thought for a minute before answering. "Then everyone is in trouble. But somehow I think Anna is safe. Elsa was actually crying earlier, and Anna was holding her on her lap to make her feel better. Nothing happened. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do as a parent, but I heard and saw a lot of their conversation from earlier. Agdar, Elsa thinks that her own parents think she's messed up and that we're going to put her back in her room."

"Elsa _is_ messed up. She should just accept it and move on, not flaunt her problem all over Arendelle," Agdar said.

"She _has_ accepted herself for who she is! She _has_ moved on. I haven't seen Elsa as confident and happy as she is now since she was a little girl. Personally I am still not comfortable around her because of her ice powers and all, but that doesn't mean whatever decisions Elsa has made were wrong. She's gotten herself in control and she seems mostly happy, and that's more than we ever did." Idun paused for a second before adding, " _You_ can ask Elsa to abdicate. I will have nothing to do with that. I may not actually like Elsa's special abilities, but I am not going to hurt her again. She sounded all hopeful that 'Mom cares about me?' after Anna told her I asked about her arm after she ran off."

"Asking Elsa to abdicate won't hurt her. She probably expects to do so, I would think."

Idun kept her mouth shut about what she had heard her daughters say about that law. Elsa did not have to do any such thing. "When your eighteen-year-old daughter attempts suicide like Anna said Elsa tried to do, something is wrong. Anna tried to warn us over and over that Elsa was upset and depressed and we never listened. How would you feel if we had come back home to find only Anna here and that Elsa had…killed herself? Elsa probably knew that storm was coming and was too terrified to say anything because she would be put in the dungeon again."

"We wouldn't _be_ here if it wasn't for Elsa freezing everything at her coronation almost two months ago," Agdar pointed out.

"Agdar, Elsa is willing to just start over and let us all be a family again. You heard her. She told Anna to apologize to us for goodness sakes. All Anna said was the truth. A harsh, angry truth; but the truth nonetheless. I don't know about you, but I am going to try to give Elsa a chance. Let her and Anna tell their story, and then we can figure out what to do as a family."

* * *

No one in the castle knew an eleven-year-old girl was sitting in the alley next to the chocolate shop in the marketplace. Kiara stuck out her tongue at the icy rides above her. She wished she hadn't run off when that Snow Queen Elsa had asked her to apologize. She could have swallowed her pride for a moment and said sorry to the Snow Queen's annoying sister. Now Kiara had lost her chance to talk to Elsa. _She isn't snooty, but she doesn't come out to the marketplace all the time; I know she doesn't. And someone like me will just get chased away from the castle if I just hang around the gate. Which isn't fair, but I know it's true._ Kiara wished she had another dress besides the faded and slightly torn brown one she was wearing, but she didn't. And she had no money to buy another one.

Stale chocolate and broken chocolate scraps were tasty though, which was why she'd picked this spot to stay in. The only trouble was she couldn't stay in any one spot for any length of time because if anyone got a good look at her, they would know she probably wasn't from Arendelle. Claiming she had gotten tanned in the sun would only work but so well before it failed. Kiara scowled and started braiding her tangled black hair like Elsa's.

 **A/N: So Elsa doesn't have to relinquish her position as queen. Yes, I just made up that law, but I promise it'll actually be important later.:) It's not something I made up _just_ to make it so Elsa stays in charge.:P**

 **Anna is pretty ticked off at her parents at the moment, and Elsa's just trying to get all of her family together again...happily.:/**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	3. A Few Discussions

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **jr74-Thank you!:) I agree...I mean, Elsa's fairly confident now, but she's going to get upset if her parents act like that.:/**

 **olaf99-Lol, actually I was already going to have Rapunzel come into this story later on.;) Great minds think alike! Just...wait a little while. But I promise she'll be in the story later!**

 **bananas-rule-2015-Thank you! And that's totally fine:)**

 **princessdianaofparadiseisland-Sorry, I don't think Elsa would do that, although she does have the rights to.:/ No Kiara in this chapter, but we'll see more of her later on:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

Elsa awoke early the next morning. She slipped silently out of Anna's room and went to go get ready for the day in her own room. _I'll wear a regular dress today. Maybe that will help Mom and Dad feel more comfortable around me._ Elsa slipped on the one short-sleeved dress she could find, since it was sure to get hot later in the day. She quickly brushed her hair before clipping it back on either side with tiny snowflake-shaped ice clips. As long as she wasn't leaving the castle today, surely leaving her hair loose was all right. Elsa shrugged at her reflection. _I suppose I look fine. I like this dress okay-it's turquoise-but I'd still rather wear my ice-dress. Oh well._

Elsa bit her lip and strode down the hall to her parents' room. She knocked lightly on the door. "Mom? Dad? It's me, Elsa."

"Good morning, Elsa," her father said stiffly as he opened the door.

Elsa felt like all the words she had wanted to say just fell right out of her head. "I…that is, I'm…" _Elsa, get it together! What is your problem?!_ "I just wanted to invite you and Mom downstairs for breakfast," she said finally.

"You changed your dress for a normal one."

Elsa balled her left hand into a fist. _Do not cry, Elsa. Do not get mad, Elsa._ "My other dress was normal too. _My_ normal. You can't define 'normal', Dad, and neither can I nor anyone else." She paused before adding, "I want us all to be a family again, but I am not that scared little eight-year-old any longer. Look." Elsa held out her left hand, her signature snowflake hovering over her palm.

Agdar took a step backward, but Elsa had braced herself for that reaction and she didn't flinch or dissolve the snowflake. "Dad, whether you like it or not, my powers are part of who I am. I can't change that. You can't change that, either. But…watch this…" Elsa dissolved the snowflake and held out her hand again, this time without the snowflake. "I can control it now, thanks to Anna. I am not dangerous anymore. I'd like to just be accepted for _me_ , but if you and Mom can't do that, it's all right. I'm not going to hate you no matter what you think of me. I love you." Elsa turned away to leave. "See you at breakfast." _I think that was fair. I said my piece. I do still love Mom and Dad, even if they never accept me._

* * *

At breakfast, Elsa purposely dragged the chair away from the head of the table. _I'm not dealing with who is or is not supposed to sit there. This way no one gets to sit there._ "Anna, you sit here," Elsa said, pulling out a chair on one side of the table. "Mom, Dad, you please sit there," she added, pointing to the two chairs directly across from where she and Anna sat.

Anna immediately knew why Elsa had done that, even though Elsa usually didn't sit at the head of the table anyway unless there were guests. _What if Mom and Dad just_ expect _Elsa to step down from the throne or something? Because Elsa doesn't have to do that. I know she doesn't._ "Elsa, your hair looks nice," Anna said, both because she really did think Elsa's hair looked nice and because she wanted to make small talk.

"Thank you," Elsa replied, bracing herself for a comment that she shouldn't run around with her hair loose. She nervously fiddled with her skirt as Gerda brought their breakfast out. _This is so awkward. I don't know what to say. I hate small talk. I especially hate it when I'm afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing. Or do the wrong thing._

"The whole royal family of Arendelle is together again! How nice!" Gerda said a bit too cheerfully.

Elsa bit her lip and said nothing. _Sure, we're all together again all right. No one knows what to say, even talkative Anna._ She realized her usual breakfast routine included cooling off her food if it was hot, like these pancakes were. _Should I do that? Wait a minute; why am I worried; I've been doing that every time I eat for a while now._ Elsa held her hand over her plate and cooled her food, ignoring the eyes staring at her from across the table.

"Do mine, please?" Anna asked, hoping that was what Elsa wanted her to do. _Seems like Elsa's trying to have her usual routine, I think._

Elsa reached her hand over to Anna's plate, but jerked it back a moment later.

"What on earth are you doing, Elsa?!" Agdar asked.

 _Cooling Anna's food like she asked me to,_ Elsa thought. She looked down at her bare hand and just balled it into a fist. _It sounds awful, but part of me wishes Mom and Dad hadn't come home. I'm glad they're alive, but I wish we had just gotten a letter that said they were alive and made a home elsewhere or something. Everything I do is wrong._

Anna glared at her father. "Why did you ask Elsa that? She had just done the exact same thing to her own plate with no problem. Elsa _always_ cools my plate down if it's hot. And she never, ever freezes it over unless she does it on purpose to be silly. Then she promptly thaws it right after."

"You freeze things on purpose sometimes?"

Elsa nodded and kept her gaze on her plate as she began eating her pancakes rather mechanically. She just wanted to get out of there. _Dad's setting me on edge. I never do anything right around him._ Elsa dropped her fork when she felt it freezing over in her hand. _I haven't lost control like that for a while. Terrific. Not._ Elsa risked a glance at her father and saw him eyeing the frozen fork. _Oh no. I just messed up in front of Dad. This is bad. Very, very bad…_

Anna noticed Elsa's little mistake and where her father was looking and immediately knew this was trouble. "Elsa doesn't usually make little mistakes like that. But it's no big deal. Right, Elsa?"

"Maybe you should put your gloves on, Elsa."

Elsa kept her left hand resting in her lap under the table as tears trickled silently down her cheeks. _I don't even have the horrid things anymore. And I'm glad I don't._

"Maybe you should stop being mean to Elsa," Anna spat out. _You just made her cry…and Elsa rarely does that anymore._ "Why would you tell her to wear gloves just because she accidentally froze a fork?! That's stupid."

"You promised to be nice, Anna." Elsa finally spoke. _Say something in your own defense, Elsa. Don't be rude; just defend yourself._

Anna huffed and crossed her arms.

Elsa slowly pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. "Dad, would you please come into the hallway with me for a few minutes?"

* * *

Out in the hallway a minute later, Elsa looked her father right in the face. "Dad, here's the deal. I am not going to be rude or bossy; I'm just trying to say it like it is. You can hate my powers. You can dislike me. You don't have to approve of me. But I'm _not_ trying to conceal who I am again. I am not going to start wearing gloves again. I don't even own them anymore. If it makes you feel any better, I physically can't use my powers with my right hand at the moment," she said, gesturing at her broken arm. Elsa smiled a bit before continuing, "And I've decided something. I will do my best not to use my powers around you if you don't like it. But that doesn't include my ice-dress."

"Elsa, you shouldn't go flaunting your problem all over Arendelle in public. You know that. Perhaps we might have a little talk?"

Elsa's blue eyes flashed. "Dad, no. That isn't true. My powers are not a 'problem'. Once in a while, I might feel like they are, but they're _not._ They're part of who I am. Period." Elsa paused for a moment; then added quietly, "I'm not that frightened, gullible little girl anymore, Dad."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I do love you, but I'm not going to put up with being treated like…that again without saying something to defend myself," Elsa said simply. "This is my castle, too, and no one, even me, should get treated like that in their own home." _I know that. I know it for a fact. Dad, please understand and don't get mad at me…_ "I'd like to stop this before it gets like it was before…please."

"Treated like what?"

Elsa did her best to keep her expression neutral as she answered. _Don't explode or get upset, Elsa. Just say what you wanted to say. Nice and calm._ "Like I'm a defective thing that's not quite human, or something you deal with because it can't be gotten rid of. Because even though I know it isn't true, it still hurts me inside. _Please_ try to understand…"

"I don't think of you like that, Elsa," Agdar said, sounding almost sorry.

"Then how _do_ you think of me? Please be honest…I can take it," Elsa replied, her lopsided smile saying more than words could that yes, she wanted the whole truth no matter what it was.

"Elsa, you were always a smart girl. I would always think, 'Oh, if Elsa didn't have those powers, she could potentially be one of the best monarchs Arendelle has ever had'. Your smarts were the reason Anna wasn't made the first in line for the throne after that accident when you two were little. It's obvious to me that you _are_ a savvy ruler. You've made the entire country love you despite your physical abnormalities, and that whole freezing the kingdom incident almost two months ago."

 _You make me sound like I have a dangerous disease people are going to catch if they get too close or something…and wait a second…_ Unlike Anna, Elsa did not discard the comment about the Great Freeze. "Dad, how do you know what happened at my coronation? I know I didn't mention it yet, and I have a feeling Anna didn't either, since she had only gotten to me trying to…commit suicide last night when she was explaining what's happened since you left." Elsa wasn't sure why, but she was suddenly quite certain that there was something amiss as to why her parents were back now all of a sudden.

"Well, um…news like that travels quickly," Agdar said.

"That isn't the whole story, Dad. Where have you been for the last three years? I _was_ thinking a desert island, but after learning about all of the strange modern technology the United States has, I think you would have been found long before now," Elsa replied. _This means Mom and Dad have been in a place sans that modern technology stuff…a large place…perhaps another country…?_

"Where do you think we have been, Elsa?"

Elsa frowned. _That was an evasive reply…_ "Dad, what are you not telling me? Stop prevaricating," she said, hoping that would catch her father's attention.

A moment later, Anna peeked out into the hallway from the parlor. "There goes Elsa with her weird vocabulary again," Anna teased. "Elsa, Mom wants to talk to you by yourself." Then she walked over to Elsa and whispered right in her ear, "Don't worry; I think it'll be all right."

"Okay…" Elsa was still suspicious that there was _something_ odd that her father wasn't telling her, but she didn't particularly want to continue that conversation either. _I'll ask Dad again later, I suppose._

* * *

A few minutes later, Elsa sat in the parlor with her mother, feeling slightly guilty for being unable to stop picturing Gerda where her mother was now sitting. _That chair is where Gerda was sitting every time she helped me with my speech…I feel closer to Gerda than Mom...then again, Gerda is the one who was more of a mother to me. I guess this is only natural, but I still feel bad about it._ Elsa shifted uncomfortably in her chair when she realized her mother was eyeing her injured arm. She hadn't really felt self-conscious about her splinted arm or the sling at all since she had gotten hurt, but now she did. "Mom, it's just a broken arm. It doesn't even really hurt anymore. Please stop staring at it," she said finally. _If Mom's doing that, it means she at least cares a little bit about me. That makes me happy._

"How much longer will it be before it heals?"

Suddenly struck with a cynical thought that she dearly wished to throw out, Elsa frowned and asked, "Are you asking me that because you're genuinely concerned that I'm hurt, or because you're embarrassed to be seen with me because my arm is messed up?" Elsa's voice didn't sound accusatory; just quiet, and slightly curious and worried. _Now why did I say that? It doesn't matter…._

 _It matters more than you'd like to admit, Elsa. You want your parents to love and accept you, just like you did when you were little. The only difference is that you won't be so broken up about it if they don't now. Because you're happy with who you are now and you have Anna._

Idun frowned and decided to be completely honest with Elsa this time. "Elsa, I fully admit that I am not completely comfortable around you because of your powers, but I'm genuinely concerned that you're hurt. I promise I am not embarrassed to be seen with you because you have a splint on your arm. I believe now that your father and I did not treat you as we should have, and for that I am sorry. We never saw beyond the dangers your powers could bring. Now I see-"

"About a month or so," Elsa interrupted softly. "My arm will be healed in about a month or so." _Anna was right. Mom does care about me, at least some. She doesn't like my powers, but maybe if I can prove that I'm not dangerous anymore, that would help fix that._ "If I proved to you that I can control my powers now, would you be more willing to accept _all_ of me?" she asked.

"You've already proved that you're in control. You make festival entertainment and detailed, albeit scandalous, dresses; you aren't wearing gloves; and you seem much happier and more confident. And Elsa, you have grown into a very pretty young lady. I don't know what possessed you to run about with your hair down like that, though. All that long platinum hair of yours…my goodness."

Elsa giggled and impulsively ran over to her mother and gave her a hug. "Anna usually braids my hair for me since I can't do it with one hand. I just wanted it loose today." _Mom doesn't hate me. I know she doesn't._ She abruptly pulled away a moment later, remembering that her mother still wasn't entirely comfortable around her. "I'm sorry…I know you prob'ly don't want me near you," she apologized.

Idun hesitantly laid one hand on Elsa's cheek. "I'll just have to try to get used to you, Elsa. Never giving my little girl a chance was a horrible decision."

Elsa's blue eyes filled with happy tears. "M-Mama? I'm your l-little girl?" Elsa's voice faltered, and she had no idea whether to laugh or cry or hug her mother or run away from her. _She called me_ her _little girl! Mom doesn't hate me!_

"Only if you want to be. We can try to start over. Just like you offered last night."

"Thank you…thank you," Elsa whispered. _Starting over is good. If Mom is willing to at least try to get used to me, that's enough for me._

"Why is there a blue streak in your hair, Elsa?" Idun asked in confusion.

Elsa thought for a minute before answering since that was a _long_ story. _Just tell her, Elsa. It can't hurt…_ "Well, it turns out that I can make water, although it's rather difficult and tiring for me. I let Anna have the water I made because she didn't want me to just dump it. To make a long story short, Anna drank the water and she ended up with temporary water powers." She smiled a bit and touched the blue streak in her hair. "Can you guess what happened?"

"Anna got…temporary water powers and then _hit_ you with them?! Why do you still have memories of the whole thing then?"

Elsa's smile disappeared. "Because the solution in that case was for Anna to heal me herself, not altered memories thanks to the trolls." _I am not explaining that Anna hit me in the heart, not my head. And I'm not saying how I can breathe underwater now because of the whole thing, either. Not unless the topic specifically comes up._

"Elsa, let's finish talking about this later. There is something you need to know. Whatever you do, do _not_ tell your father what I am about to tell you," Idun said seriously.

Elsa nodded. "What is it? Is it something important?" _Duh, Elsa, of course it's something important._

"Elsa, your father is probably going to ask you to abdicate. If you decide not to do that, be prepared for some foreign backlash. I promise I will support whatever decision you make."

Elsa frowned. "All of Arendelle's relations with other countries are stable at the moment. Where would this foreign backlash come from? And how do you know this? Were you and Dad being held hostage somewhere?" _I knew something was off with this whole thing…_

"I've already explained more than I should have. I have a feeling with a bit of thought, you could figure the entire puzzle out. Just…please be careful, Elsa. Think carefully before you make a decision. I know you well enough to know that you probably think you're _supposed_ to abdicate, but you don't have to. Relinquishing your position will mean that you won't have any power to control what happens to you or anyone else. You'll be in a lot of trouble if you try to speak up for yourself. Queen Elsa has much more power and influence than Princess Elsa does."

Elsa's eyes went wide. _What is going on? Why is Mom telling me all these things? Should I even trust her? The only thing is…I know that's true. Princess Elsa will end up confined to her room again, and she will have no power to refuse._ Something else suddenly popped into her head. "Mom…when Dad was king of Arendelle, did you have any say on politics or anything?"

"I had a small say, yes; but your father always had the final ruling. I was more of a helper or tiny influence than anything else, especially after you and Anna were born. Elsa, if you abdicate, everything will be like it was before, and no one will be able to do anything about it. And in your father's defense, it will not be entirely his doing, either," Idun told her.

 _What?_ "I wasn't going to abdicate…because I was too frightened that I'd be shut in my room again…But now I'm confused. Mom, you were-and are!-a little scared of me because of my powers. Why would you be telling me things to keep me on the throne now?" Elsa asked. _I'm so confused. I need to talk to Anna…_

"Because right now, you are the better person to rule Arendelle, despite your age and your powers."

"Mom, I-" Elsa started, then figuratively froze when her father and Anna walked in. _Tell me Dad didn't hear any of that…please tell me Dad didn't hear any of that…_

 **A/N: So...a few hints on where their parents have been, but no real explanations yet.:P**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	4. Visitor

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **Keybearer0 _0_ 1-If Elsa catches a break, then there's no story, lol.:) Anyways...without any spoilers, I'll just say Elsa gets a happy ending again in this story too.;) You can totally expect some political/family clashes over the whole thing!**

 **Frozen789-Thank you:)**

 **Guest-Thanks!:) Yeah, Elsa isn't a scared little girl anymore, so I figured she would probably say something in her own defense now, even though she's still being nice.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"Elsa, show Dad how you're in control now!" Anna exclaimed. "He's trying to convince me you're not really in control and a bunch of other stupid stuff."

Elsa glanced from her father to Anna and back again. "I promised Dad I wouldn't use my powers in front of him as much as I can help it…"

"Elsa, why on earth would you say such a thing?!" Anna asked incredulously.

"Because I was trying to be consid-" Elsa was interrupted by a familiar voice announcing "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Olaf came waddling into the parlor to see the two new people in the castle. "Hi, people who are visiting Elsa's castle!"

Elsa looked nervously at her parents. _I said I wouldn't use my powers in front of Dad, and now Olaf comes in. Terrific. I highly, highly doubt either Mom or Dad was expecting to meet a talking snowman that I'm still not even quite sure how I made…_ "Um…Mom, Dad, this is Olaf," she said finally.

"Elsa's parents! This is a hug from Elsa!" Olaf announced. He wrapped his little stick arms around Agdar's leg.

Elsa felt like she wanted to drop through the floor and disappear. She knew Olaf's love for hugs and warmth came from her own deepest wishes for those things when she was younger, but that was _not_ something she wanted to explain to her parents. "Olaf, please. I…I don't think Dad wants a hug," Elsa said quietly, pulling the little snowman away from her father.

"But everyone likes hugs!" Olaf insisted.

"Elsa, what in the world _is_ that?!" Agdar asked, backing away from Olaf and Elsa.

"I'm a snowman. My name is Olaf," Olaf said, trying to be helpful.

"It's a talking snowman, Elsa! How did you make that?! It's a live…snowman…it's-he's creepy!"

Olaf's ever-present smile disappeared, and he clung to Elsa. "Am I creepy, Elsa?" he asked.

" _No_ , Olaf. Dad is just being…" Elsa's voice trailed off. _Unfair,_ she finished in her head. Elsa clumsily picked up Olaf and held him with her left arm. "Olaf, you cannot go near my parents, at least not right now. All right?" She looked up at her parents, saw two genuinely scared faces, and decided she just wanted to leave for a few minutes. "Excuse me, please." _That didn't go very well. At all._

* * *

Elsa slipped out of the parlor into the hallway and just sat down on the floor, still holding Olaf. "I'm sorry that happened, Olaf," she said quietly. _Olaf hardly ever gets upset…_

Olaf touched Elsa's splint curiously. "I could share my arm with you since you said you broke yours."

"Thank you, Olaf, but I don't think that's going to work for me," Elsa replied with a small smile. "I'll just have to wait for it to heal." _Well, at least Olaf seems to have forgotten about what just happened in the parlor. That's good._

"I hate waiting."

"Me too," Elsa whispered. "Except it's about other things…" _I hate waiting for something good to happen that never will. Elsa, you're being cynical. You never thought you'd be safe to be around Anna, and that happened. You never thought you'd be able to control your powers, and you can. So maybe if you just be patient, your parents will accept you_ and _your powers eventually._

"Elsa's parents prob'ly just need some time," Olaf said, half-sensing Elsa's feelings. "I don't like you being upset."

Elsa just stared at Olaf in surprise. "Can you read my mind or something, Olaf?" she asked. _I'm just imagining things, most likely. If Olaf can read my thoughts, I'm just…weird. But what else is new?_

"You aren't weird, Elsa," Olaf announced in a serious voice. "And I don't think it's reading minds. It's a sixth sense. To tell how Elsa feels. And where Anna is."

"So…you can sense my emotions and you can sense Anna's location?" Elsa asked, fascinated with this new knowledge. _That's strange, but it's pretty cool. And it makes sense, too…_

"What are emotions?" Olaf asked.

Elsa giggled. "Feelings. Olaf, you are so smart about some things, and then so dumb on others. Just like… _me_ ," she finished hesitantly. _Olaf didn't know what emotions were, but he knew what to tell Anna about love after Hans left her in the library…_ Anna had told Elsa what Olaf had said a long while ago, but now it popped back into Elsa's head again. _'Love is putting other people's needs before yours'…that's what I did for all those years isolated in my room. I just didn't know it._ Elsa put Olaf down and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her good arm around her legs. "Olaf, I…I'm sorry," Elsa said quietly, her voice cracking a little.

"Why?" Olaf asked. "I'm happy to be like you!"

"You didn't know what emotions were because I couldn't process them before myself," Elsa whispered, suddenly very certain she was right. She hadn't really considered just where Olaf's personality had come from before, but now she knew. Olaf loved the two things little Elsa wished for most that she thought she could never have. Olaf hadn't known what emotions were. Little Elsa couldn't even process her own emotions, although she did have so many feelings that were all locked up inside her. Olaf _did_ , however, know how to define love in one simple way…and that simple way was little Elsa's own subconscious definition. _And Olaf's constant upbeat happiness and naïveté is like an overboard version of Anna…_

"I did too know what emotions were! I just didn't know they were the same things as feelings," Olaf said, patting Elsa's shoulder. "Am I more like you or Anna?" he asked curiously.

"Both of us," Elsa answered instantly. "You were our childhood playmate, and I think…I think it shows."

* * *

Elsa promptly scrambled to her feet when she saw Gerda coming down the hall. "Hello, Gerda."

"Miss Elsa, there's a little girl in the courtyard claiming you said you would speak with her," Gerda said, sounding a bit confused. "I told her I would come ask you, but quite honestly, I think she's telling stories."

Elsa laughed. "I think I know _exactly_ who she is. Is she about this tall" she held her hand just below her shoulder "and have black hair, tanned skin, and green eyes? Wearing an old brown dress?"

"Why, as a matter of fact, yes," Gerda replied. "Did you talk to this girl at the festival or something?"

Elsa nodded and took off toward the main entrance doors to the castle. _It's Kiara. I know it is. I wonder why she wants to see me…_

"Hi, Snow Queen," Kiara said as Elsa stepped outside. She was standing at the bottom of the castle steps with her hands on her hips, although her voice didn't sound irritated, angry, or rude this time. "Your guards wouldn't let me in," she said drily.

"How on earth did you get inside then?" Elsa asked. _There's no other way in except for the main gate. And the secret passage into the forest, but no one knows about that except me. And my parents. I don't even think Anna knows about that specifically, even though she does know there are secret passages._

"Over the wall," Kiara said nonchalantly, as if she hopped castle walls every day. "Very simple. I wanted to talk to you."

Elsa smiled and held out her left hand, although it was still a mystery to her how a young girl could just hop the castle wall. "Come inside, then. You can come to the kitchen and have something to eat if you like," she offered. _And I'll give Kiara a new dress, too._

"I'm not a stupid charity case," Kiara spat. "I don't want food. I want to talk to you!"

"Kiara, do you or your family have money for food?" Elsa asked quietly.

Kiara hesitated. _My 'family' has plenty of money…_ "I'm too young to get a job," Kiara hedged finally.

"You can have a job here," Elsa said, knowing exactly what to do. _I don't think she even has a family. Why else would she just say she's too young to get a job?_ "But you have to come inside first." She held out her hand again, and this time Kiara took it. Elsa yelped and jerked her hand away when she felt something akin to a shock of static electricity off a doorknob. "Sorry, that just startled me," Elsa apologized.

Kiara balled her hands into fists at her sides and wouldn't take Elsa's offered hand this time. "Where are we going?"

Elsa took note of the abrupt change of topic, but she didn't say anything about it. "I need to clean out my closet. You can help. Pick out a couple dresses for yourself while you do so," she said, hoping that would convince the girl to accept the dresses.

"You probably have a zillion servants already, Snow Queen. What would you want a dirty street kid to clean your closet for?" Kiara demanded.

Elsa stopped short and put her left hand on Kiara's shoulder. "Kiara, we do not insult others _or_ ourselves in my castle. Now say something about yourself that you like." _Kiara confuses me. She's a complete jerk one minute, and then she's insulting herself the next. What is the deal?_

Kiara shrugged Elsa's hand off her shoulder and drew herself up to her full height. "I know how to fight. I bet I could beat your best guard," she announced proudly.

Elsa frowned and backed against the hallway wall. She would fight to defend herself or her family or country, but she still didn't _like_ doing it. It was just one of those things that was just there to her now. Not so long ago, she was still too terrified to even try to do such a thing. Elsa couldn't fathom her fighting ability to be something to be pleased and boast about. _What is that supposed to mean? Even if she could beat up someone on the street bothering her, that still wouldn't make her able to beat a castle guard. And why is she so pleased about that?_ "That's…nice," Elsa said finally. "We do not fight in this castle unless it is _absolutely_ necessary, okay?"

"'Kay." Kiara was unperturbed by this. "Snow Queen, where's your room? Your castle's bigger'n…it's just big," she amended.

Elsa glanced sideways at Kiara, noticing her slipup. _Arendelle castle is bigger than what?_ "My room is right here," she said, opening the door with the snowflake pattern on it. She went to open her closet and pointed at all the dresses hanging neatly inside. "Pick a dress or two out. Then you can help me organize the rest."

"They look organized already," Kiara said doubtfully. "You're a neatnik." She glanced around Elsa's spotless room. The only thing that could be considered even remotely 'out of place' was Elsa's book she was currently reading lying on her nightstand.

"Thanks _ever_ so much," Elsa deadpanned. Being called a neatnik wasn't insulting to her; she had always been meticulously neat, and the risk of ruining all of her things by freezing them when she was younger ensured that her room was always spotless. "Any of them except that one!" Elsa exclaimed, grabbing the cranberry red Christmas dress her sister had given her away from Kiara. _I can't wait to wear that dress in a few months for Christmas. I'll actually get to have a happy Christmas with Anna. And hopefully Mom and Dad._

Kiara shrugged and pulled out an indigo dress with long sleeves and black piping on the bodice and skirt. "This one?"

Elsa scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head, realizing that was the dress she had been wearing three years before when her parents left on that 'two-week' trip. _Let it go, Elsa. It doesn't matter. That's the past, not the present. And it_ truly _doesn't matter that you didn't say anything about that storm…your parents are alive and safe, not drowned at the bottom of the sea._ "Of course, Kiara. I'll ask Gerda to cut it down for you." _I should have gotten rid of that dress long time ago. Thanks, Kiara._ Elsa glanced at Kiara's bare feet, and added, "Shall we find you some shoes, too?"

"Nah, no thanks. I hate shoes. And I haven't got any money to pay you for the dress, Snow Queen. I can't take it." Kiara would raid trash heaps for scraps on the street, but she did not steal things otherwise. She had no qualms about fighting, but she hated owing people things.

Elsa's expression softened. "It's okay. I don't mind. I have plenty of other dresses, and you picked one I don't want anymore anyway." _I've never not had enough money for clothes, but I wouldn't like taking something without paying for it, either._

"Stop patronizing me," Kiara said angrily. "You said you had a job for me. And obviously it's not cleaning your spotless room. So what gives? Why did you bring me here? I just wanted to talk to you!"

 _Why did you bring me here? … I couldn't just let them kill you. … But I'm a danger to Arendelle. Get Anna. … …_

 _Don't you see? I can't._ Elsa closed her eyes, trying to erase that whole memory from her mind. _Elsa, that will never happen again. You actually destroyed those shackles. They are gone forever._ She remembered her own self nearly two months before saying that exact question Kiara had asked, albeit much less confidently than Kiara did.

"You frosted the floor," Kiara said matter-of-factly.

* * *

Anna suddenly came stomping into the room, but stopped in her tracks when she saw Kiara. "Elsa, why is she in your room?" She glanced at Elsa and immediately knew what happened. "Are you all right, Elsa?"

Elsa finally opened her eyes and nodded. "Just…remembering something, that's all. I had a little relapse," she said sheepishly. _At least I didn't completely lose it. I can't expect myself to be perfect. I'm fine the way I am._ She smiled when Anna hugged her close. _I'm okay this time, Anna, but I still like hugs._

Kiara crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Stop being so melodramatic and emotional."

Anna abruptly let go of her sister and marched over to Kiara. "My sister is _not_ melodramatic. And _don't_ tell her to stop having emotions! She did quite enough of that when she was little!"

Kiara didn't budge or even look a bit perturbed. "I meant all the hugging and remembering some stupid past event. Not to stop having emotions. That's stupid and impossible."

Elsa glanced from Anna to Kiara and back again. Quite honestly, they looked like they were about to start punching each other. "Do I have to send you two to separate corners?" she asked, only half-teasing.

"Send her!" came the simultaneous accusation.

Elsa couldn't help giggling. She simply stepped between the other two girls, figuring neither of them would hit her. "Kiara, I fully admit to becoming too emotional sometimes, but that's my business, not yours." _I'm not explaining about those flashback things that still bother me once in a while. And wait a minute…I need to get Kiara out of here before Mom and Dad find her. I don't feel like explaining why I invited a rude little girl in the castle who snuck over the castle wall._

"Did that hurt when it happened?" Kiara asked, pointing at Elsa's injured arm. All she wanted was to change the subject, and that was the first question that popped into her head.

Anna scowled. "What do you think? My sister _broke_ her arm. Of course it hurt! And if Elsa tries to tell you otherwise, she's lying."

 _She just wanted to change the topic,_ Elsa realized. "Both of you, stop it. Kiara, really, what kind of question was that? Yes, it hurt when I broke it. But it's mostly fine now. And Anna, it doesn't matter. She's just asking a question. Kiara, go take a bath and put on that indigo dress," she said firmly. "Do you…do you need help with how the faucet works?" Elsa knew that not everyone in Arendelle had running water in their homes; if Kiara was used to living on the street, then probably the only 'bath' she had was a dip in the fjord. Which was actually rather dirty in Elsa's honest opinion.

Kiara stuck out her tongue. " _No_ , I don't. I've seen faucets before, Snow Queen." She stomped off into Elsa's bathroom and slammed the door.

* * *

"Elsa, _why_ did you invite her inside the castle?" Anna asked a minute later. "And you keep letting her be rude to you. What if she goes off and tells people you let her do that? You're the one who's always so concerned about your reputation and mine and whatnot."

"She's _eleven_ , Anna. What do you think she is, some secret informant for somebody? I think she's just a young girl who acts tough because she's living on the street. Although there's something else to her…she knows what faucets are; she said 'Your castle is bigger'n…', then caught herself; and she's very proud of knowing how to fight. Very strange," Elsa finished. _And something is odd about that static electricity shock thing that happened when I tried to hold Kiara's hand. She refused to touch me after that…_

Anna shook her head. "Well, I don't like anyone's that's rude to my sister. And Kiara is rude to my sister. Therefore I don't like her. And you'd better get her out of here soon if you don't want to explain to Mom and Dad."

Elsa sighed. "I know. She doesn't want to stay here anyway, so that won't be a problem."

"Thank goodness."

"Could you keep Mom and Dad out of here for a little while?" Elsa asked. "I'll come find you the second Kiara leaves."

Anna shrugged. "Sure, I guess so. I'll, um…take them out to the marketplace and show them your ice-rides. Maybe that will make them like your powers better." She frowned before adding, "I don't understand _why_ they don't like 'em!"

"They still picture me as that terrified and out of control eighteen-year-old girl," Elsa said softly, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Knowing why I was like that and that I couldn't control my powers at all then, do you understand a little better why Mom and Dad don't like my powers?" _That's understandable to me. What isn't understandable is why they didn't_ really _like my powers even when I was little before the accident. Maybe they were afraid something like that accident would happen…wait a minute. That's exactly what it is. I'm still not quite the same girl from before the accident-I get upset easily and I still have flashbacks sometimes-but I'm getting there. And it doesn't matter. I'll always be an accident waiting to happen. Just because I'm being me._ Elsa kicked off her shoes and went to sit in the window seat, pulling her knees to her chest. _I was in control when I was little before the accident, and I still ended up hurting Anna. Did my parents just know already that I had the capability of becoming dangerous? They must have…_

 _Elsa, stop it. You talked about the accident with Anna before. You did shout at her to slow down. It wasn't entirely your fault. You never had any dangerous accidents for eight years before that._ Elsa scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to get out of that whole line of thought. There was nothing she could do to change herself, so this whole mental conversation was stupid. Right?

* * *

Anna plopped down in the window seat beside her sister and laid one hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa, what are you thinking about?" she asked quietly. _I don't care what Elsa says to defend Mom and Dad. They've hurt her. Why is Elsa trying to make it ok that they don't like her powers?_

Elsa didn't move for a long moment, keeping her forehead resting on her knees. _Anna can't help me. It doesn't matter whose fault it is; I'm always going to have the potential to be dangerous. And Mom and Dad knew it._ She slowly looked up at her sister, wishing with all her heart she was more like Anna. Nobody but Anna could ever even come close to knowing how much hurt Elsa had felt inside for practically her whole life. She would never, ever let anyone else see that part of her. _Ever._ This had nothing to do with concealing emotions; it was just something Elsa would rather stay in the past where it belonged.

"You aren't all right, Elsa," Anna said firmly. She hadn't seen that pained look in her sister's gaze for a long time, even when Elsa got upset. "Elsa, what's wrong? What's hurting you?" Struck by a sudden thought that she was sure was wrong, she asked anyway, "Is it your arm?" _I know that's not it. Elsa didn't cry even right after she got hurt. Stupid question._

"I wish it was," Elsa whispered bitterly. _I can't tell Anna what I just figured out. I'll make her upset because she thinks I'm okay now. And I'm not. But maybe Anna could help me…_ "Anna, I…I…" she started to say.

Anna put both hands on Elsa's shoulders and looked her straight in the face. "Elsa, did Mom or Dad call you a bad name or something? That's the only thing I can think of that would have made you this upset. Even a random idiot picking on you wouldn't have made you upset now. You'd just ignore it. I know you."

Elsa tried to cover her face with her good hand. _I can't even do that because my stupid arm is messed up._ "I…I just realized something about myself…I'm _always_ going to have the potential to be…dangerous…And Mom and Dad knew it. That's why they…don't like my powers," she explained softly. _And that hurts. I thought I was finally comfortable in my own skin, and then I think of this…_

 _What?_ Anna pulled Elsa's hand away from her face and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Elsa, your powers can be beautiful. And you've saved yourself, me, and Arendelle multiple times because of them. Those are good things, sis. You aren't dangerous. If you're talking about the accident from when we were little, that's silly. We were little. Little kids have accidents. I could've just as well been climbing a tree and fallen and hit my head. Besides, let's just say five-year-old me wasn't the most careful person in the world."

Elsa cracked a smile at that. "Your _present_ self isn't the most careful person in the world," she pointed out. _Anna does have a point. Accidents do happen. It's just…I don't want to be the cause of them…_

"Stinker!" Anna started tickling her sister. "You take that back, Elsa, even if it is true!"

"Anna, get offa me!" Elsa squealed. She lost her balance and fell right out of the window seat onto the floor. "Ow, that hurt! And quit tickling!" Elsa held her broken arm with her other hand, but she still couldn't stop giggling. _Anna always manages to make me happy when I'm upset. Thank you, Anna._

Anna stopped attacking her sister with tickles when she saw Elsa holding her arm. "I'm sorry, Elsa, I didn't mean to hurt you-I just wanted to make you laugh, and-"

Elsa shook her head and smiled at Anna. "It's okay. More than okay, actually," she interrupted. "You made me laugh when I was upset." _She knew exactly how to make me happy again. And Anna is right…accidents do happen. I don't like being the cause of them. I'll always do my best to keep that from being the cause of such things. I_ am _in control now._ "Anyone has the capability of becoming dangerous, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it before, but yeah. Like if they get super angry. Or like in your case, if you get too scared. But _I'm_ going to keep _that_ from happening. My sweet big sister is never going to have to be scared again. Never, ever!" Anna gave Elsa a hug.

 _We're invincible together, just like Anna said,_ Elsa thought happily.

* * *

"You must be underweight or something, Snow Queen," Kiara announced a minute later. "'Cause this dress fits me and I'm over a head shorter than you. It's just way too long."

Elsa laughed and ran over to Kiara. _I didn't think I was that slender, but maybe so. My indigo dress fits Kiara perfectly aside from the length and sleeves._ "I'll just ask Gerda to hem it for you then," she said. "Anna, would you go find Gerda please?"

"Sure." Anna stuck out her tongue at her sister as she left the room, earning an eye roll from Elsa.

Elsa's happy mood abruptly disappeared as something else popped into her head. "Kiara, are you too hot in that dress?" she asked. _That dress is a heavy winter one. Kiara's going to be sweltering hot in that thing. It's over eighty degrees outside._

"Nope."

 **A/N: Just saying...Kiara will NOT be in this much of every chapter. I just wanted to flesh out a bit more of her character, and let her interact with Elsa and Anna a bit. (Elsa, you shouldn't let random little girls in the castle.:/) Anyways...:) I'd love feedback on what you think Kiara is up to, good or bad or whatever.:P**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	5. Afternoon Family Outing?

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **jr74-Right on:) I won't give away exactly what Kiara can and cannot do, but you're right.:) And thanks for the review!:)**

 **idon'tcare-Also correct!:)**

 **princessdianaofparadiseisland-Thanks for the review, sis:) Well, Kiara is supposed to be kind of rude, so she's doing her job then.;) Agdar doesn't think Elsa is really in control, so...yeah.:/ Yes, sis, I figured that. I think Anna is your secret alter**

 **Guest-Hi, Amanda! New reader, yay!:) Uh, you say you're not used to leaving reviews, but you left a nice long one.;) I love long reviews!:) Hmm, that's actually a very good idea, although it's been established previously that Elsa _can_ use her powers with her right hand already; it just hurts her a lot to do that. Lemme see if I can make it so your idea and mine work together.:) *lightbulb!* I think I've got it, so just wait and see! I'll credit you when I use it eventually. (Probably won't be for awhile yet:)) Kiara does NOT have fire powers, but you're on the right track. And yes she's hiding something.:P**

 **On to the story!:)**

After Kiara had left and Elsa had told her to come back the next day for the dress, Elsa headed back downstairs with the intent to find her parents and sister in the marketplace. But she didn't need to; the rest of her family hadn't even left the castle yet. They were still all in the main entrance hall to the castle. _Maybe I could go_ with _them? It would be the first time my whole family went anywhere together since I was eight._ Elsa took a deep breath and walked up to her parents. "I should like to come to the marketplace too, if you please," she said pleasantly.

"Elsa, maybe you should stay home," Agdar said.

Elsa's happy smile faltered for a moment, and she slipped her hand into her sister's. _I'm fine. I'm not going to lose control or get upset._ "I don't have any business to take care of at the moment," she said. "I believe I'll come, thank you." Elsa had already decided in her mind that while she was determined to stay friendly and polite, she wasn't going to withdraw inside herself and not say anything in her own defense like she did so often when she was younger. She would be respectful, but she would _not_ allow herself to be mistreated again.

"What if you have an accident like with the fork at breakfast again?"

Anna knew Elsa was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but she couldn't stand listening to her father's unreasonableness and her sister's incessant politeness any longer. "Dad, all of Arendelle knows Elsa has ice powers! ICE POWERS! That means she can freeze things if she wants to! Nobody cares if Elsa makes a tiny mistake like that. Good grief. Such stupidity! Besides, she won't make mistakes at all if you just let her be. So there!"

Elsa sighed and shook her head. _Anna, you aren't helping. I know you're trying to, but you're just not._ "Anna, please stop. And Dad, Anna does have a point. I messed up a bit at breakfast because you make me nervous. You set me on edge because I _never_ do the right thing in your mind, and I know it," she said quietly. Elsa looked to her mother, hoping Idun would say something, anything in Elsa's defense, but there was no reply, none at all. _Did I imagine Mom telling me she would try to get used to me? Wait…no, I didn't. She isn't saying anything because she cares about me, but she still doesn't like my powers. That's what it is._

"So in other words, you aren't completely in control. You lose control of your powers whenever you get nervous," her father replied. "Whatever happened to 'conceal, don't feel', Elsa? And you shouldn't hold your sister's hand, especially not without your gloves."

Elsa felt Anna give her hand a comforting squeeze. _Thanks, Anna. That's a lot more helpful for me than shouting at Dad._ "You can't live without emotions, Dad. 'Conceal, don't feel' was never going to work, no matter how hard I tried. I'm still just a human girl. A human girl with strange, unnatural ice powers, but a human girl nonetheless. I have feelings whether you or I or anyone else like it or not; and they have to come out or I'll literally explode eventually." _It's happened more than once…_ "If you don't want me to explode ice everywhere, then you need to please let me handle my emotions on my own. Anna helps me." She shot her sister a grateful smile before turning back to her father. "Conceal, don't feel is useful when you're in a fight and you need to stay calm and focused. Conceal, don't feel is useful when you're in a political or other situation where you're dealing with someone that would use your feelings against you. Other than that, it's _horrible_ advice, Dad. No one can live like that all the time." _Especially not eight-year-old little girls that are terrified because they hurt their little sisters…_

"Elsa, you aren't talking sense. You were fine for ten years before we left."

"Dad, I was not either fine for ten years before you and Mom left!" Both sad and angry tears pricked at Elsa's eyes, but she did _not_ want to break down right now. That would just make it all the harder for her to try to convince her father of the real truth. "Could I do this safely before?" Elsa held up her left hand clasped tightly with her sister's.

"It isn't safe _now_ , Elsa! It will never be safe. You're risking Anna's safety every time you touch her or be around her," Agdar insisted. "You were fine before, so I'm sure you would be fine now."

Elsa struggled to keep from crying. _'It will never be safe….' Dad, that hurts. I'm tougher inside than I was before, but that still hurts. A lot. Elsa, you're fine. It_ is _safe for you to be with your sister. It's okay._ "Eighteen-year-old girls shouldn't get so depressed that they attempt suicide. That is _not_ the definition of 'fine', no matter how you look at it," she said firmly.

Anna knew Elsa was getting upset, so she just hugged her close, being careful not to put any pressure on Elsa's injured arm. _I gotta either get Dad to shut up or get Elsa out of here._ "Dad, I don't understand why you won't listen to simple reason, but I'm not letting my sweet big sister be hurt inside again. Ever. Leave her alone. Or so help me, I will…I will…" Anna wracked her brain, trying to think of a good threat. "Or I will tell everyone in Arendelle the way you treated Elsa for all those years when she was little. Keeping her locked in her room; not letting me talk to her; forcing her to wear gloves all the time; _chaining her in the dungeon_ ," she said pointedly. "I swear I will-"

Elsa had been listening in growing horror at Anna's words, and now she had heard enough. "Anna, you will not do any such thing! I don't care what Dad did to me; you are not ruining his reputation like that! As sovereign monarch of Arendelle, I forbid it!" _Good grief. Anna must be crazy! Dad has hurt me-I admit that…but I'm not letting Anna do that. That's wrong._ "Besides, those shackles don't even exist anymore," she added; then bit her lip, realizing she had opened a whole new topic by saying that. _And I thought Anna was the one with a big mouth. So do I. You're so dumb sometimes, Elsa._

"What does that mean, 'those shackles don't exist anymore', Elsa?" Agdar asked.

Elsa took a deep breath and just said the truth. "I shattered them to bits," she said quietly. Elsa had been able to crack those shackles open so she could escape during the Great Freeze nearly two months before; but she had gone back down to the dungeon and completely destroyed them a few days ago, shattering them to smithereens. _Nobody will ever be locked up with those horrid things again. I did that on purpose._

"You couldn't have done that, Elsa. They were thick solid metal…"

"I could show you and prove it," Elsa replied.

"Uh…wait a sec, Elsa, come here," Anna blurted. She grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her over to the far corner of the entrance hall. "Elsa, I don't think you should go down there," she whispered quickly.

Elsa frowned. "Why not…oh no, I know why not…" _If I go down to the dungeon, I'll probably have a flashback and lose control. Anna is right. I can't go down there. What have I gotten myself into now?_

"I'd like to see this so I can believe it," Elsa heard her father say.

"Anna, you'll just have to help me," Elsa whispered. _Come on, Elsa, you can go down there without having a flashback. Right?_

* * *

A few minutes later, Elsa paused at the top of the steps leading down to the dungeon. _I don't want to go down there again. Why am I doing this? I don't_ have _to…_

Anna put one arm around Elsa's tense shoulders. "We'll be fine, sis," she said, hoping that was enough to make Elsa feel better while not raising more questions for Elsa to deal with.

Elsa sighed and slipped her left hand into Anna's. "Let's do this," Elsa said flatly. _I am going to show Dad that I really did shatter those horrid things. Then I am going straight back upstairs. I can do this. I think._ She marched down steps and down the corridor; then released her sister's hand and pushed the door open to that all-too-familiar cell. "See, they're shattered. Let's go upstairs now."

"Elsa, what on earth did you do?" Agdar asked in surprise. "They're _completely_ shattered in tiny shards…you couldn't even get out of here before and you completely destroyed them now…"

Elsa backed away from that door, shaking her head, trying not to get stuck in awful memories. _Please, please don't have a flashback, Elsa. You shouldn't have come down here at all._ She wrapped her good arm around her middle on top of her broken one and sent Anna a 'help me!' glance. _I have to get out of here! It's bad enough if Anna sees me lose control, but I don't want my parents to see that._ Elsa closed her eyes, but she still felt like she wouldn't be able to last much longer without losing it.

"You're all right, Elsa," Anna said quickly. _If Elsa has her eyes closed and she's hugging herself like that, she isn't going to last much longer without losing control or having a flashback._ She took one look at the tears starting to trickle down her sister's cheeks and pulled Elsa close. "Mom, Dad, I think I'm gonna go upstairs with Elsa," she announced. Anna headed down the corridor with her arm around Elsa's shoulders.

"Anna, what's the matter with Elsa?" Idun asked.

"Let's talk upstairs," Anna suggested. _I gotta get Elsa out of here…as in, like, right this second._ She hesitated before picking Elsa up and climbing up the stairs.

"Please put me down…I'm okay," Elsa said quietly. _No flashbacks, Elsa…no, no, no. You're going upstairs with Anna. You're fine. You just shouldn't have gone down there._ Elsa picked up her skirts and ran up the rest of the stairs as fast as she could go the second Anna put her down. She waited at the top of the stairs thankfully back on the main floor of the castle for her family. _Made it. Thank goodness._

* * *

Once everyone was back on the main first floor, Idun repeated her question, this time directly to Elsa herself. "What happened, Elsa? Are you all right?"

Elsa dropped her gaze to the floor for a moment before replying honestly. _They're bound to find out sooner or later…I may as well admit it._ "I have flashbacks sometimes," she admitted. "That's why I needed to get out of the dungeon…"

Rather than say something to her about needing help being queen or abdicating or something, which was what Elsa was afraid of; Idun turned to Agdar. "Did you just hear what your daughter said?! She gets _flashbacks_ sometimes! How on earth can you keep insisting that what we did to her was the right thing to do? That is _not_ fine. Why do you suppose being in the dungeon is a trigger for Elsa? Because we put her in there- _twice_!"

"Are you implying we abused her?" Agdar asked.

"Agdar, that girl standing in front of you was abused by her own parents since she was eight years old," Idun said firmly, pointing at Elsa. "Please excuse the pointing, Elsa." (Elsa nodded and smiled a bit.) Idun continued, "I don't want to accept that any more than you do, but it's the truth. We're lucky Elsa isn't a complete emotional wreck and that she can function easily. Like I told Elsa herself, I'm not completely comfortable around her because of her powers, but never giving her a chance was wrong. Completely."

"Are you going against my authority?"

"Yes. Agdar, I love you, but you are being pigheaded and ridiculous. You can't tell me you think it's normal for a young girl like Elsa to have flashbacks from simply walking downstairs to the dungeon," Idun replied. "This has _nothing_ to do with Elsa's special…abilities. I don't care what is or isn't wrong with her; she's our _daughter_. She shouldn't be having flashbacks because of things her own parents did to her!"

Elsa glanced from her mother to her father and back again. This discussion told her exactly what she already thought-that her mother genuinely cared about her but didn't like her powers, and that her father either didn't care about her at all or was so stubbornly entrenched in his thought processes that he wouldn't accept anything else. _I hope it's the second one…I think it is, actually._

"Are you telling your king that?!"

"No, I'm telling my husband that. You are not the king of Arendelle any longer, Agdar. Elsa is in charge," Idun reminded him.

"But she knows what she's supposed to do. Don't you, Elsa?" Agdar appealed to his daughter, positive of what Elsa's answer would be. "You probably have all the abdication documents written up already, don't you?"

Elsa felt like she was caught in the middle. She had no intentions of abdicating, but she knew her father genuinely believed that that was what she was going to do. "I…I…how could I have written anything up with a broken arm?" she asked awkwardly. _That's all you could come up with, Elsa?! Not only can you sort of write with your left hand, you could have asked Kai to write it for you or something._ She bit her lip when three sets of eyes just stared at her in surprise. "Well, it's true!" Elsa defended her weak argument.

"Elsa doesn't have to abdicate, Dad. There's that weird law, remember?" Anna said helpfully.

"But she is. Aren't you, Elsa?" Agdar asked.

Elsa opened her mouth and clamped it shut again. _This is it. The moment of truth. And if Mom is right, I'm going to pay for this, but not as dearly as if I did abdicate._ "No," she said softly. Then in a stronger voice, "No. I, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, am not abdicating in favor of the former King Agdar, now or ever."

Agdar frowned. "Oh, come now, Elsa. I didn't think you were one to hold a grudge. Surely you don't intend to hold your current position since your mother and I have returned."

Elsa shook her head slightly. "I hold no ill will in the least, Dad. The past is…in the past, where it belongs. But I am not relinquishing my position as queen. I want you and Mom to stay here at home in the castle. I will always respect you as my father. But I can't abdicate." _Dad, please try to understand. I'm not angry. I just don't…trust you not to hurt me again. And if Mom is right…I have no idea what could happen…_

"You're barely twenty-one years old, Elsa, and a girl to boot! I gather you don't have any suitors you might enlist to assist you, either. Don't you think it might be better to leave the governing to someone older? You _have_ done a fine job for the last three years evidently, but you'll have another chance to rule when you're older."

Anna hid a giggle behind her hand. "See, Elsa, Dad wants you to go on a date too! Maybe you ought to go on a double date with me and Kristoff," she teased.

"No, he doesn't, Anna. Dad's just trying to convince me to abdicate," Elsa muttered. Then in a quiet but confident voice, she looked her father straight in the face and said, "I have made my decision. There will be no abdication. I hope you can forgive me. The subject is closed." _This is going to be trouble. I know it is._ She turned back to Anna, said "I'll be in my room, Anna," and headed for the stairs. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

"Who is Kristoff?" Agdar asked Anna suspiciously the second Elsa left.

"Uhhh…he's a super good friend of mine. Yeah, really good friend," Anna blurted. "Bye! I'm gonna go find Elsa!"

Idun watched her youngest daughter run off. "What do you say he is not just a good friend of Anna's?" she asked, shaking her head. _Anna really likes whoever Kristoff is. I can tell…_

"There are no men or boys of Anna's rank with that name…" Agdar commented.

"We could ask Elsa who he is," Idun suggested.

 **A/N: So, no abdication happening. Elsa stays queen.:) (Sorry, I am _not_ kicking her out of her position of authority. That's just trouble waiting to happen.:P) Hint for future: Remember exactly _why_ Elsa doesn't have to abdicate in the first place.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	6. Sister Talk

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **AvatarxFrozen-I'm glad Elsa didn't abdicate too...even though I'm the one that wrote it.;) :)**

 **Optomistic-Thank you!:) Yeah, Agdar doesn't understand just how much stronger Elsa is now.:P I think Elsa knows she should speak her mind, so she does at this point...usually.:) She's just still a bit nervous around her parents, especially her father, which I think is understandable:)**

 **Frozen789-I agree! Elsa deserves a round of applause, lol:)**

 **Guest-Thanks for the review, Amanda!:) You're welcome; I know exactly how to include your idea now. I'll credit you when it's time to use it:) I'll just say Elsa and her father make up by the end of the story.:) I do like The Lion King, but Kiara's name wasn't supposed to be from it, I realized it after the fact. I think Lion King Kiara was Simba's kid though in the second one, right? I'm pretty sure Nala is Simba's love interest.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

Upstairs, Elsa lay on her back on her bed, just staring up at the ceiling and drawing icy patterns on it by twirling her fingers back and forth. _What am I going to do? I've alienated Dad by refusing to abdicate. I'm not mad at him, but I wish he would just…accept me. And I can't do anything to help that to happen. If anything, I've probably pushed him away even further by saying what I did._ "Come in," Elsa called when she heard Anna's familiar knock on her door.

Anna flopped on the bed next to her sister. "I like watching you draw like that," she announced.

Elsa sighed. "At least one member of my immediate family does," she said quietly. She flicked her hand at the ceiling and dissolved all of the ice. "I'm sorry I ruined your afternoon, Anna. I probably should have just let you and Mom and Dad go to the marketplace and stayed here without making a fuss…"

"But Elsa, you didn't make a fuss. All you said after Dad said you should stay home was 'I believe I'll come, thank you'," Anna pointed out. "You were being nice-you just stuck to your decisions, that's all."

Elsa turned over, away from Anna, making sure not to lie on her broken arm. _And that right there is the problem. Me being stubborn; me trying to stand up for my rights to someone I still respect._ "Dad is used to the old me. That withdrawn and demure girl from before that just listened to everything in terrified silence," Elsa said softly.

"That wasn't the 'old you'. The 'old you' is that carefree happy little girl from before the accident when we were little," Anna said firmly. "I don't know what Dad's problem is; maybe he doesn't remember how you were when we were little; but that girl he's expecting you to be was traumatized and hurt really bad emotionally. You're way, way, _way_ better now, but you still aren't exactly like you were when we were little." Anna quickly backtracked when she realized Elsa was starting to tense up. "But you're really close, Elsa! Give yourself a break. Compare your present-day self with the you from right after the Great Thaw. You don't get nightmares all the time anymore. You don't wear gloves when you go to sleep. You don't have those awful panic attack freakout things. You don't stutter. You can talk confidently to people now without being afraid of hurting them. I thought the you from then was perfect, and the Elsa I see next to me is perfect, too. Maybe even perfect-er because I know she's happier." She paused for a second; then added, "And-"

Elsa suddenly sat up and looked at Anna, her big blue eyes embarrassed but hopeful. "Would you…hold me like you did before? Please? You don't have to-I promise I won't completely lose it if you don't; I just feel very… _small_ right now…" All of the quiet confidence that had let her talk about the whole abdication issue and the dungeon seemed to have disappeared, leaving her feeling vulnerable. Not out of control, not terrified, just…vulnerable. If it had been anyone besides her father, Elsa wouldn't have particularly cared what that person thought or said. _I'd have told them off by now,_ she realized.

Anna hopped off the bed and ran over to Elsa's side. Then she slipped her arms under her sister's shoulders and knees, carried her over to that comfy chair in the corner, and sat down holding Elsa tightly on her lap. "Don't be embarrassed, Elsa. I don't mind holding you one bit. I just want you to be confident and happy," Anna told her. _And right now, Elsa is happy, but she doesn't feel confident. That's why she wanted to be held._ "Elsa, d'you maybe want a pillow to put under your arm? You look kind of uncomfortable…" Anna let her voice trail off, knowing Elsa didn't like being fussed over "just" because she was injured.

Elsa shrugged, but then she hopped up, grabbed a pillow off her bed, and crawled back on her sister's lap. _How did Anna even know I felt uncomfortable? It's not even like my arm was hurting really badly-it was just aching because I had to halfway hold it up myself because of the way I was sitting…I bet nobody else would even know except Anna._ "You know I don't like feeling vulnerable or being fussed over, but thank you for taking care of me, Anna," Elsa said softly.

"That's what sisters are for!" Anna made sure the pillow was supporting Elsa's arm; then just squeezed her close. "You take care of me, too, you know," she pointed out. "Like how about why you ended up with a broken arm in the first place. You were willing to trade yourself for me…"

"It wasn't a big deal…I can never do as much for you as you've done for me. All those years…you never gave up on me…" Elsa's eyes shone with tears, but no snowflakes began falling around her. Those were grateful, happy tears. "Even when I gave up on myself, you didn't give up on me and just leave me to my fate, so to speak…" _Anna just tried all the harder to help me._

"I don't want to ever, _ever_ hear you say those things again, Elsa!" Anna exclaimed. "You want total honesty? Well, I think we're even when it comes to who's done as much for who. If anything, _you've_ done way more for _me_. Practically your entire childhood got taken away from you just because you were the one who was born so-called 'different'. That was NOT fair. I still got to be a kid after the accident-a bored and lonely kid, yeah, but I didn't grow up completely terrified locked in my room with people who are supposed to love and take care of me abusing me instead. It's absolutely ridiculous. Actually, I changed my mind completely just now. We aren't even. YOU have done way, way, _way_ more for ME. End of story!" _I'm glad poor Elsa got a happy ending finally, even if she still has a bit of trouble sometimes. Because that would be an awful, awful tragedy otherwise. Elsa was only eight when everything got messed up…just an innocent little girl who should have been loved and cared for all the more after what happened. And that sensitive little girl who could, yes,_ feel _…nobody ever did anything for her. She's still just a little girl in some ways anyhow…Elsa's a genius when it comes to political stuff and education and whatnot, but she still loves playing 'kid games' and things like that…_ Anna's eyes filled with tears as she clutched Elsa close. _Never again! Never, ever. I'm not allowing anyone to even try to hurt my sister ever again. She's going to stay safe and loved forever. So there._

* * *

Elsa mulled over what Anna had just said for a long minute. _Anna sort of has a point, but…_ "Mom and Dad didn't abuse me," she said finally. "I think they did what they thought was best, and it just plain wasn't."

Anna looked down at her sister resting comfortably in her arms and scowled. "Elsa, your brain must be taking a nap today. I don't care what you say-our parents, especially Dad, _did_ abuse you whether you're willing to accept it or not. Whether it was with good intentions or not doesn't matter," she said firmly.

Elsa shook her head earnestly. "Neither of them ever laid a hand on me. Ever. No slapping or hitting or anything. Well, except for a couple times I remember both of us got popped on our backsides when we were really, really naughty when we were little before the accident. And I know we deserved a spanking for those things-we played pranks on important dignitaries Dad invited to the castle!" Elsa couldn't help giggling at that memory. She and Anna had, among other things, hidden guests' shoes, dropped mud on guests from atop the castle wall, and scared the living daylights out of them once by making it snow in the dining hall. (Elsa had gotten in _big_ trouble for that…especially because she was quite honestly not sorry in the least for doing it.) "Anyways, my point is that Mom and Dad never abused me," she added in a serious voice.

Anna couldn't stand it any longer. She roughly shook Elsa's shoulders, as if shaking her would rattle some sense into her head. "It _doesn't matter_ , Elsa! You were abused emotionally since you were eight years old!" she nearly shouted. "And what about leaving you in the dungeon twice?! How about that, huh?! You weren't even simply left down there; you had those awful shackles on your hands chaining you to the floor! That. Is. Horrible! Period!"

"Please stop shaking me….you're making my arm hurt," Elsa said, cradling her broken arm with her other hand. _I don't know if Anna is right or not…And I am so glad I shattered those horrid things. Those shackles don't even exist anymore._

"I'm sorry; really, really sorry!" Anna exclaimed. "I swear I wasn't trying to hurt you…" She stopped shaking her sister and just held her protectively in her arms again. "Are you all right now?" she asked, fluffing the pillow under Elsa's arm. Elsa nodded, and Anna promptly went back to her original topic, this time without shaking Elsa around. "Elsa, telling a little girl 'conceal, don't feel' and forcing her to hide part of who she is IS abusive. You're just trying to excuse what happened. I know you are."

"Anna, what would you have done with me then? I was dangerous. You can't deny that," Elsa replied softly. _I don't know what I would have done with me. I know I would have at the very least let Anna talk to me through the door anyways. Maybe let me come out at night after everyone had gone to bed or something. I don't know._

Anna made a face. "I don't know, Elsa, but there at least should have been an 'Uh, this isn't working' moment a few weeks after the accident. It's just stupid. A bad decision is understandable; I get that. But not sticking with the same rotten plan for years on end when it was obvious it wasn't working at all and making things worse! Maybe Dad could have made you wear gloves whenever you were around me 'til I was a bit older, and let you use your powers whenever you were alone in your room. The thing that bothers me the most is you were never, ever out of control before the accident. Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, the best thing to do would have been to keep your powers a secret from me for awhile until I was older–y'know, since I probably _was_ too careless to play with your powers with you-but still let you spend time with me. Knowing you, I bet you would have been perfectly happy being able to spend time together, even if you had to wear gloves when you were around me or something."

"I think I was too scared to play with you, though," Elsa said after a moment. _Even if I_ had _been allowed to play with Anna, I think I'd have gotten scared and run off after a few minutes. All I wanted was to talk to Anna. Just see her and tell her I didn't hate her or anything._

"I bet you weren't when you were still really little. If you'd been allowed to play with me _right_ when we got home from the trolls, I think everything would have been exactly like it was before."

Elsa looked her sister right in the face. "Anna, you aren't understanding what I'm saying. That happy and carefree little eight-year-old disappeared permanently the second I shot you in the head with my powers. I lost that naïveté and innocence that my powers were normal and just a fun toy to play with in my mind. I'd been questioning things for a long time before that, but I always thought 'Hey, if I was born like this, then it's not my problem if someone doesn't like it' or something. You don't remember that because it was something I kept to myself. I was _never_ really treated like a so-called 'normal' little girl except by you and Gerda, and Kai when I saw him. And of course the general public, since no one else knew about my powers. I didn't know or notice it then, but I know it now. Like when I was five, you kept throwing a tantrum and would not go to sleep. I thought showing you my 'magics' would make you happy; and selfishly, I wanted to show you _so bad._ Being a silly five-year-old, I got mad when Dad said I couldn't, and I ran up and down the hall yelling that Crown Princess Elsa of Arendelle had ice magics. And-"

Anna couldn't help giggling as she pictured a five-year-old Elsa yelling that she had ice powers…or 'magics', as the case might be. Then she frowned. _Little Elsa wouldn't have been yelling that if Dad hadn't said she couldn't show anyone…_

"Like I was saying…" Elsa gave her sister a playful grin before continuing, "Anyway, I ended up running back to our room in tears, and that meant snowflakes falling around me, as you well know. You saw them, and we ended up playing with my magic together. The next morning, you wouldn't shut up about 'Ella 'now purty!' at breakfast. Dad made me wear gloves for disobeying him. I remember being so, so relieved when I managed to convince him it was silly to keep my powers a secret from you any longer since you already knew about them. It's things like that I don't think were right. I was completely wrong to disobey Dad, but by the same token, I wouldn't have done so if he'd let me show you in the first place. I don't know…I understand Mom and Dad's actions after the accident, because they didn't know what to do with me. But before the accident…I'm not sure what they were thinking."

Anna made a face at Elsa's story. _Somehow making little Elsa wear gloves seems way worse than popping her on the butt for being naughty. That wasn't fair to her at all._ "Elsa, was that your punishment any other time?" she asked crossly.

Elsa gave Anna a sideways glance and didn't answer. _Yes…when I made it snow in the dining hall for that prank, but I really did deserve it for that. I was being a little brat. It happened a couple other times too…_ "Back to the original topic…you were still unconscious when we arrived home from the trolls. I couldn't play with you even if I wanted to. You stayed _so still_ for hours. It scared me half to death…I was used to seeing you acting like a crazy jumping bean even in your sleep. Do you remember waking up? I begged and begged Mama and Papa t-to…to let me stay with you just 'til y-you woke up….a-and…and…" Elsa's voice finally broke entirely as tears began trickling down her cheeks. _And I remember thinking nothing would ever be the same again. I already knew I was going to have to move out of Anna's room and stay away from Anna…I just wanted that last little bit of time with Anna and see her safe._

Anna bit her lip and gently rocked her sister back and forth. "Shh, Elsa, it's all right. You don't have to tell me anything more if you don't want to….it's all right." _That memory still hurts Elsa so much inside. I wish I could just take everything that still bothers her and throw it out. Permanently._

Elsa shook her head and brushed her tears away with her good hand. "No…I think I _should_ tell you. I think it might help me feel better, actually…" _To let it go. Those few things that still hurt me inside sometimes need to go._ Elsa took a deep breath before continuing. "I remember I finally got permission to stay with you, but only under the condition that I go to my new room the second you woke up. It was probably a stupid thing to do on my part, but you started stirring, and I…I hugged you. That was the last time I hugged anyone until…until that time I was sixteen and made myself ill. I…" _Come on, Elsa, just spit out the rest of the story. Anna doesn't mind listening. You know she doesn't._ "You woke up completely when I hugged you, and…"

" _I_ know the rest of that story," Anna said bitterly. "Five-year-old me hugged you back, and you said 'Anna, I'm so, so sorry.', and then you ran off. I chased you down the hall, and you gave me this heartbroken look before disappearing into your new room. I didn't understand anything about what was going on." With a nasty pang of regret, Anna realized her five-year-old self hadn't been very nice to Elsa immediately after that. She'd yelled at Elsa through the door and called her names, and Elsa hadn't said a word in retaliation. Just a quiet 'Go away, Anna.' A few days after the accident, she remembered being told that Elsa was sick, so she decided Elsa was just being unsociable because of that. So Anna switched to just talking and singing about snowmen through the door since being sick wasn't a reason to get mad at her sister. "Elsa, I'm so, so sorry," Anna apologized now.

Elsa gave her a quizzical look. "Sorry for what?"

"I _yelled_ at you through the door, Elsa! I called you names. You were stuck in that room already feeling awful, and I made it worse!"

"Yes, you did," Elsa said simply. "But you were five, and you had no idea what was going on. So, not your fault. Forgiven. You are sentenced to taking care of your sister for the rest of her life when she needs it. Case closed. Next!" she called, as if they were holding court. "Now on the stand, Princess Elsa of Arendelle, age eight. You are charged with causing bodily harm to your little sister. You did hurt your sister, but it was neither your fault nor your sister's. You are sentenced to thirteen years of isolation, but then you get a lifetime of love and care from your sister afterwards. Case closed. Next!"

Anna hugged Elsa close, unable to contain her giggles. "Elsa, I absolutely hate your sense of self-deprecating humor sometimes, but this time I totally get it. I'll _always_ follow through with that sentencing. That's no punishment in my mind." _Wait a second…Elsa sentenced herself to what actually happened in reality. She doesn't actually think she deserved all that heartache and pain for so long, does she? I suppose it doesn't matter…she's obviously happy now. And, like Elsa said herself, the past is in the past._

Elsa hopped to her feet and smiled at her sister. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

* * *

Elsa and Anna were laughing and having a snowball fight that involved ice catapults that shot their snowballs at each other a while later when three familiar faces appeared in the doorway. Elsa had just thrown one final snowball at her sister, but Anna dodged to the side. "Missed me!" Anna exclaimed gleefully.

"Yes, I missed _you_ …" Elsa was mortified. _My snowball hit Dad. Out of Mom, Dad, Gerda, and Anna, it_ had _to hit Dad. What have I done?! I told Dad I wouldn't use my powers around him, and I hit him with a snowball! Not on purpose, but still…_ "I…I swear I didn't do that on purpose. I'm sorry!" she said finally.

Anna started giggling; then stifled her laughter with a cough. This did not fool anyone. "Oops. So, um…family snowball fight?" she suggested, trying to smooth over the awkwardness of the situation.

"Elsa, what on earth do you think you're doing?!" Agdar asked.

"Maybe you could play a quieter game with your sister, considering your arm, Elsa? What about chess?" Idun suggested.

Gerda walked through the snow all over the floor to Elsa. "Miss Elsa, why don't you just dissolve the snow and come downstairs for dinner? Have a snowball fight with your sister later, and shut the door next time," Gerda told her quietly.

Elsa nodded and dissolved all the snow without a word. Then she grabbed Anna's hand and walked out of her room into the hall. "I'm sorry I hit you with a snowball, Dad," she said sincerely. Elsa didn't wait for a reply; she just went on her way down the hall with Anna and ran downstairs. _Let's see how much more trouble I'm going to cause unwittingly this evening before I go to bed._

* * *

A few minutes later, Elsa, Anna, and their parents sat down in the dining hall for dinner; none of them sitting at the head of the table, just like at breakfast.

"If you aren't abdicating, you aren't sitting in the right place," Agdar said.

"This isn't a formal dinner," Elsa replied, her voice trying to get the point across that she did not wish to discuss that topic.

"The reigning monarch is always supposed to be seated at the head of the table."

Elsa dropped her gaze to her lap and ignored this. _I'm not moving. I never sit there unless we have guests in the castle. Mom and Dad live here. They're not guests. Besides, I want to sit next to Anna. Although sometimes she does sit across from me; we just sit wherever if we're by ourselves._

"Do answer," Agdar said firmly.

Elsa looked straight across the table at her father, her blue eyes flashing, although her voice remained deadly calm. "As reigning monarch, I will sit where I please. I'll thank you to leave that topic alone." _What am I thinking?! That was borderline rude, even if my tone of voice wasn't._ "Thank you, Gerda," she said as Gerda set her dinner plate in front of her.

Trying to change the topic, Anna said, "Can we have a family chess tournament after dinner? Elsa's super amazing, and I'm pretty good!"

Everyone looked at each other and said "Sure," at the same time. That was an activity all of them could agree on. Elsa sighed in relief. Maybe that would help undo the trouble she'd caused by hitting her father with a snowball.

"Who is Kristoff? I don't recall anyone remotely near Anna's rank with that name," Agdar asked a minute later.

Elsa's mind raced. She liked Kristoff as a person okay, but she didn't particularly want her baby sister romantically involved with anyone. One problem: that question implied that her sister was supposed to be courting someone. Definitely not what she wanted. "Kristoff is Anna's fiancée," she said in a steady voice, fingers crossed under the table. _I_ know _Kristoff is safe for Anna to hang out with, and she does care about him a lot. I won't have Anna getting married anytime soon-she's not even twenty-one!-but maybe they can be engaged or something._

Anna looked confused for a moment, but then she beamed, easily catching on to why Elsa had said that. _Smart Elsa. If I'm already engaged/betrothed/whatever you want to call it, Mom and Dad can't bring a bunch of suitors around for me. Only issue is…what will Kristoff say? Elsa made it sound like he and I are already engaged…I gotta talk to Elsa about this later._

"But who is he, Elsa?"

"Kristoff Bjorgman, Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer," Elsa replied instantly.

"That hardly sounds like an advantageous political move for Arendelle," Agdar said.

Elsa pushed her chair away from the table and jumped to her feet. "I will not have my sister marry anyone if she doesn't love the person! And it is a _fine_ political move for Arendelle, considering the last prince Anna was involved with tried to assassinate both of us and take over the kingdom!" _Shut up, Elsa. You're shouting._ She sighed and sat back down, wincing when she bumped her arm against the table.

"Elsa, I think you need to rest and take it easy for awhile yet," Idun said, shaking her head. Even when she was little, Elsa didn't like resting when she was hurt or sick. She just wanted to go back to her usual activities.

Elsa glanced down at her arm and shrugged. "It's been nearly two weeks. I can't just-"

"Two weeks is not nearly long enough for a broken arm to heal, Elsa. You're going to injure it further if you aren't careful. Please take better care of yourself," Idun told her.

 _It's not like I'm trying to use that hand for anything…but maybe I_ am _overdoing it. I've bumped my dumb arm countless times since right after I broke it…_ "I'll try," Elsa said finally.

"That includes trying to write with it or using your powers with that hand," Idun said, feeling fairly certain those were the two things Elsa was most likely to attempt. "And that has nothing to do with whether I am comfortable with your powers or not, Elsa. I just don't want you hurting yourself further."

Elsa smiled a bit and nodded. "Okay." _I hate being fussed over, but Mom acting like that means she cares about me. That makes me feel all warm and happy inside._

 _ **A/N: Next chapter coming soon:)**_


	7. Chess Game

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **Guest-Thanks for the review, Amanda!:) I think that's Anna's special power-to make Elsa feel better when she's upset.:) Eh, no big deal; easy detail to forget IMO.;) Of course Elsa and Anna still get to play with Elsa's powers together.:) Nothing can change that, really.:)**

 **CieloFede-Lol, my little sister may act like Anna a lot of the time, but there's no way we're as close as Elsa and Anna are.:/ I don't think a real sibling is going to be as awesome as Elsa and Anna are, and I know my sis would agree.:P I think it's both. Elsa thinks no hitting or whatever = no abuse, even though she knows her parents hurt her. Plus I don't think she wants to admit it, and yes I agree, she's WAY too forgiving.:/ I think that's unanimous-I hate Agdar too. He's not fair to Elsa at all.-_-**

 **Frozen789-Yep!:) Elsa isn't going to abdicate, period. She's made her decision and that's not going to change.:) And thanks!**

 **Awesomewolf-Yay, thanks!:) Without giving away the whole story, I'll just say that everyone in Elsa's family gets a happy ending.:) Actually, Anna doesn't know that. Which is kind of important. Good catch! 'Cause Anna will find out later on.:) Thank you!**

 **On to the story!:)**

After dinner, all four of them headed upstairs to the library. "I'll get my chess set," Anna offered. "There's only one board in the library. Me and Elsa-I mean Elsa and I-each have our own."

Elsa sat stiffly on the edge of a sofa, hoping her sister came back as soon as possible. She thought she might be able to socialize with her mother properly on her own, but her father made her feel nervous, edgy, and jumpy. Accidentally throwing a snowball at him a short while ago didn't help matters, either. _Come on, Anna, hurry up and come back, please. I don't want to have to try to make conversation without you. Elsa, sitting here and saying nothing is doing absolutely nothing for improving Dad's opinion of you. Say something._ "I…I'm…I was just wondering…that is, we…I'm…I can't…I…" Elsa scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head. _Well,_ that _was a fine performance, Elsa. Great job. Not. Maybe I should just shut up 'til Anna gets back._

"What was that all about? Spit it out, Elsa," Agdar said, genuinely mystified by usually eloquent Elsa completely losing her speech abilities.

 _You're making me nervous; that's what that was all about._ "I was just wondering if…if you'dliketotryoutoneofmyice-ridesinthemarketplace," Elsa blurted finally. "It's okay if you don't want to, though."

Anna, who had been standing unnoticed in the doorway for a minute, now marched up and slammed the chessboard on the coffee table. "Dad, if you'd just think for two seconds, you'd realize Elsa was stammering because she's nervous. Elsa _never_ stutters anymore. You're scaring her." _Elsa can get in a fight against criminals with superpowers, defeat a fleet of twenty ships on her own, and who knows what else now and be completely unperturbed; and just talking to Dad scares her. Good grief._

Elsa's cheeks turned red in embarrassment as she scowled at Anna. _Did Anna really have to say that? Now Mom and Dad are going to figure out what a mess I was two months ago. I did stutter then. Almost constantly. But I don't do it now!_ "Let's just go ahead and play chess now," she said to change the subject. "I'll play against Anna. The winners of this round can play each other after that, and then we'll have a champion. How's that?"

Everyone agreed, and soon the matches were underway.

* * *

"I've beat you at chess only once or twice, Elsa," Anna whispered a few minutes later. "You're gonna end up having to play against Dad. 'Cause if I remember right, he was, like, the undefeated champion whenever he played with visitors to the castle when we were little." _Although I think Elsa would end up having to play Dad anyhow. She's definitely more skilled than I am, and Mom likes to play, but she isn't that good. I remember she taught me the basic rules when I was little, but that was it…_

"Check," Elsa said flatly. _Terrific. I'll probably completely bomb the game if I have to play against Dad._ "Maybe I should just let you win," she whispered a moment later. "Capturing my rook would take you out of check," Elsa muttered, moving her sister's piece.

Anna frowned. "You stop that, Elsa. I did see that move, but if I hadn't, that wouldn't have been fair to you. Just play your best. It doesn't matter if you beat me or Dad or Mom or anyone else. This was supposed to be _fun_." She leaned across the coffee table to whisper to Elsa, "I'll sit right next to you if you and Dad end up playing against each other."

"Okay." Elsa smiled, suddenly feeling much better. _Thanks, Anna. I love playing chess, but I did feel really antsy. If you're right next to me, I think I'll be fine._

* * *

FIVE MINUTES LATER…

"Checkmate," Elsa announced happily.

Anna stuck out her tongue at her sister, but then she reset all the pieces and plopped down on the sofa next to Elsa. She put one arm around Elsa's shoulders as the two of them watched their parents finish up their own game.

Elsa leaned her head on her sister's shoulder, trying to force herself to stay calm. _I can see two ways Dad can pull checkmate easily. I don't want to play against him. Anna is right next to me; it'll be fine. It doesn't matter if I win or lose, right?_ "I'm nervous. I know it isn't even logical, but I'm nervous all the same," she whispered to Anna.

"You're really good at chess, Elsa," Anna whispered back. "I bet you could force a draw from Dad at the very least!"

"Checkmate," Agdar said a moment later.

Idun turned to see what her two daughters were doing. "Now let me guess…Elsa, you won your game with Anna, didn't you?" She remembered a six-year-old Elsa, who had just learned how to play chess, begging her father to play with her all the time, even though she always lost. By the time Elsa was eight, she still couldn't win against her father, but she did make him actually work a bit to beat her. _Elsa was a smart little girl. Now she's a smart big girl._

Elsa nodded, and she and Anna traded places with their mother. "I suppose I'm up," Elsa said in a friendly voice to her father.

"I'm not going to go easy on you, ok?" Agdar said.

Elsa grinned, her competitive streak popping out now. _You know what, Elsa? It's just a chess game. You love a good competition, especially when losing isn't actually going to hurt anyone. I am so ready for this now._ "I won't go easy on you either then, Dad. I'm ready!"

Anna smiled when she noticed Elsa wasn't nervous anymore. _She just looks a bit excited. Like she's ready for anything. Good for you, Elsa._

* * *

As the game got underway, Elsa quickly realized why her father had been undefeated at chess matches for so long. Of course, she thought it might be because she had never actually played against anyone more skilled than she was before, but whatever. Nearly everything Elsa knew strategy-wise about the game were sequences of moves she'd discovered playing against herself in her room. Elsa sometimes forced a draw from herself when she played both sides, so she knew it was possible. After losing a few of her pieces attempting offensive maneuvers, she decided to stay on the defense and let her father think she had no more moves to attempt to reach checkmate. That way maybe she could wait for him to drop his guard and then swoop in with checkmate. Maybe. _Maybe I shouldn't even attempt to win against Dad. Because if I did, I'd probably make him mad…I should just do my best and whatever happens, happens. Lose, win, draw; it shouldn't matter._

"You haven't said a word since we started playing," Agdar said now.

Elsa jerked her gaze up from the board where she had just been planning her next move. "I…I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Sometimes I'm still not much for small talk, I suppose. Was there…was there something you wanted to talk about?" _I talk; I say the wrong thing. I say nothing; I get 'why haven't you said anything?'_

"No."

Elsa bit her lip; then just settled for saying, "Okay." Then she quickly noticed the best move she could make, and moved one of her knights to capture her father's queen. _I'll lose that knight when Dad makes his next move most likely, but getting Dad's queen off the board is worth it._ Elsa regretted her move a second later when she caught a fleeting angry look cross her father's face; and she began fiddling nervously with her skirt with her good hand.

Anna noticed Elsa's frequent nervous habit and scooted closer to her. "What's the matter, Elsa?"

"Nothing. I'm just…thinking," Elsa replied a bit too quickly. As expected, she lost her knight, but she still had her queen and her father didn't. That was good. Right?

"You said you weren't going to use your powers around me, Elsa," Agdar said.

Elsa glanced at the floor and then her bare hand, thinking maybe she had made a mistake with her powers and hadn't realized it. "I didn't mess up," she replied truthfully. The temperature in the room was as it should be; there was no ice or snow anywhere. Elsa felt awkward and out of place, unsure of what she was supposed to be saying. All she knew was that she had definitely _not_ lost control, and that her father was half-mad at her for matching his skills so far in their chess game.

"You threw a snowball at me."

Elsa's expression went deadly neutral. _Oh. That._ "I apologized. I swear I didn't do that on purpose. Please stop trying to mess up my concentration on the chess game," she answered.

"If you didn't do it on purpose, then you aren't really in control then, are you?"

Anna had been trying to stay quiet for Elsa's sake, but now she was mad. "Dad, Elsa and I were having a snowball fight! You know, where you try to hit each other with snowballs? She was aiming at _me_ , not you! I ducked, that's all. Leave. Elsa. Alone!"

"Quit being rude, Anna," Elsa said quietly. "It isn't your problem; it's mine. Just…don't worry about it, please…" _I can't make Dad like me. If anything I do is always going to be wrong, then I may as well do what I want anyway. It won't make any difference._

Anna scowled, but she didn't say anything else.

* * *

The game continued in silence for awhile longer. Anna began yawning, but she didn't want to leave her sister alone. Elsa let Anna lean on her shoulder and continued the chess game. Both she and her father had lost most of their playing pieces by now.

"Were you fighting with your powers when you hurt your arm?" Agdar asked.

Elsa cradled her broken arm with her other hand, remembering exactly what had happened. _I was fighting to save Anna, myself, and a lot of other people. That wasn't wrong._ "Do you think I was?" Elsa asked in reply. "Anna was in danger. Fighting isn't wrong when you're defending your family or others. A criminal with superpowers captured Anna. I think a broken arm is little to pay to get her back safe and sound." _I did nothing wrong. I know I didn't._ "Let's just finish up our chess game. It's late," she added to change the subject. _I wish I could hold a pleasant conversation with Dad, but I can't. It just doesn't work. Maybe Anna can help me if I ask her._

Finally, the game ended fifteen minutes later. After completing the same sets of moves three times in a row, Elsa managed to pull a draw. She was happy with that; she'd played well for her own skill level, and maybe her father wouldn't be mad at her either. _I did my best like Anna told me to do. A draw is good. Fair enough._

"Good game, Elsa," Agdar said sincerely.

Elsa smiled happily. _That's high praise coming from Dad. That didn't have some hidden unpleasant meaning, either._ "Thank you," she replied.

"You make a formidable chess opponent. Very unlike some of the foreign visitors I've played against in the past that act like they are experts at the game and can't play at all."

Elsa beamed. "Thank you," she said again.

* * *

Elsa practically floated back to her own room. Sure, her father definitely wasn't happy with her by any stretch of the imagination, but 'Good game, Elsa' about a chess game was a step in the right direction. That comment made her happy. "Good night, Anna. I'll see you first thing in the morning," she said, pausing in front of her room's doorway. She gave Anna a hug before disappearing inside her room.

Anna debated on asking her sister if she wanted to come to her room, or if she wanted Anna to stay with her; then decided against it, knowing Elsa was trying to keep the peace. _Or rather, armed neutrality,_ she thought ruefully. Anna knew Elsa liked spending _some_ of her time alone and did indeed usually sleep by herself now, but she was positive this had more to do with trying to please their parents. _Elsa isn't all frightened like she was two months ago. She'll be fine,_ Anna told herself.

Inside her room, Elsa slipped on her light blue nightgown before sitting down at her desk. _I should write a letter to Corona to invite Rapunzel and her parents to Arendelle since Mom and Dad are back. I'd love to see Rapunzel again anyway._ Elsa began painstakingly writing her letter with her left hand; then scowled and started over. _I'm going to have to ask Anna or Kai or maybe Mom to write this. No way am I sending any letter written like this. It looks like a little kid printed it! Very unprofessional._ She sent an annoyed look at her broken arm and climbed into bed. _I'm going to ask Anna to do it. I just decided._

 _And maybe I'll try to have a pleasant conversation with Dad tomorrow. I'll ask Anna for an idea on what to talk about._

* * *

Elsa awoke early the next morning, as was her usual habit. After getting dressed and brushing her hair, she decided she'd ask Anna to braid her hair for her today. _And Mom and Dad are just going to have to get used to my ice-dress. I feel more like…_ me _in it._ She was just about to push her door open when she realized something was different. _I left my door slightly ajar, not quite closed all the way last night…now it's shut entirely. Maybe someone just shut it by accident or something._ Not thinking any more about it, Elsa just twisted her door handle.

And then jerked her hand back when it wouldn't open. _Doors do not lock on their own. And I_ know _I didn't lock it last night._ Elsa bit her lip and stared at that knob, suddenly certain she knew exactly what had happened. That was no mistake. "This…isn't my doorknob. There's…no lock on it," she said slowly.

 _On this side_ , a little voice in her head told her.

"Shut up." Elsa began yanking at the doorknob, not wanting to accept the truth. _It's just stuck, right? The lock is jammed. Or…the door's warped and it's stuck on its hinges. Right?_ "This is ridiculous," she muttered. Elsa _knew_ that wasn't her doorknob and lock. It was like the old one that had been on her door for a long time when she was younger before her parents had gone on that trip. And that one had locked on the outside. _This isn't fair. What did I do wrong now? I thought a tiny bit of something changed last night after the chess game. I guess I was wrong._

Elsa turned and leaned against her door, resisting the urge to explode in anger and just freeze the stupid thing off. That was _her_ door; nobody had any right to meddle with it. A tiny bit of Elsa wanted to just burst into tears, but she was mostly just plain angry. _Okay, what should I do? I'm not going to be impulsive. That would be freezing my way out of here right this second. All right, I'm going to go to Anna's room and talk to her. I have the secret passages to use._ Elsa pointedly ignored that door and disappeared into the secret passages via the entrance in her room.

 _I bet Anna isn't awake yet, but at least I can just stay in her room 'til she wakes up. I'm not letting my room become a prison again._ Elsa made her way through the passages as quick as she could. The second she reached the entrance to her sister's room, she slipped inside and sighed in relief. Elsa stifled a giggle when she saw how her sister was sleeping. Anna was hanging half off the bed, the covers nearly all the way on the floor. _Anna is so funny! I don't understand how she can sleep like that. Good grief._

Elsa tried to move her sister so she was actually lying on her pillow where she belonged, but with only one usable arm, Elsa couldn't do any such thing. She gave up and flopped down on the other side of Anna's bed to wait for her sister to wake up. _I could just drop a snowball on Anna, but then she'll probably be grumpy. I'll just wait._

* * *

Elsa was absent-mindedly drawing patterns with ice on her sister's bedroom ceiling when Anna finally woke up. "Hi, Elsa! What are you doing in here? I thought you slept in your own room last night," Anna said. "Oh, and will you leave your ice patterns on the ceiling? I like looking at them!"

Elsa switched her ice on the ceiling to the non-melting kind so Anna wouldn't have water all over her room later; then turned over on her side to face her sister. "I have to talk to you about something," she said quietly. "And I wanted to you to braid my hair, if you didn't mind."

Anna's happy expression grew serious. _Something's wrong._ "Elsa, what happened? What did you want to talk about?"

Elsa closed her eyes, refusing to cry. Now that her anger had dissipated, that lock on her door being changed hurt. She hadn't lost control; she hadn't been rude; and it still wasn't good enough. "I went to…open my door this morning, and…and it wouldn't open. The lock's been changed," she said finally.

Anna frowned. "How'd you get in here then? Wait, I know! You used the secret passages! Where's the entrance into my room?" she asked. "Actually, tell me later. Let's take care of you first. Are you _sure_ the lock's been changed? It's not stuck?"

"No. It's exactly like that old lock I had that only locked from the outside. Anna, I just want to know _why_! What did I do?! I've tried to be nice, and I haven't lost control at all except for freezing that fork by accident. And I hit Dad with a snowball. That must be what it is…" Elsa's blue eyes welled with tears as she scooted closer to Anna. _I'm never going to be good enough to please Dad. Never, ever._

Anna ran to lock her own door so their parents wouldn't see them right now. _Poor Elsa is making snowflakes fall around her because she's upset. I can't let Mom and Dad see that. Just…no._ Then she went back to Elsa and just yanked her to her feet. "Elsa, stop this right now. You are not going to break down in tears. Not because of this," she said firmly. "It isn't worth your emotional energy. At all." _Unless it's to get mad…_

The snowflakes abruptly stopped falling as Elsa just stared quizzically at her sister. Was Anna mad at her? Maybe she _was_ being a crybaby. She did know deep inside that she hadn't done anything wrong. This wasn't worth getting upset over, just like Anna pointed out. "What am I supposed to do?" Elsa asked.

Anna hugged Elsa close the second the snowflakes disappeared; although she'd been bracing herself just in case Elsa had broken down further. Then Anna would have hugged her sister anyways. "Good job, Elsa. That was quick! You are _so_ much better at getting un-upset than you used to be," Anna encouraged.

"It's a good thing our parents didn't come back a few days after the Great Thaw or something," Elsa said ruefully. _That would have been far more of a disaster, at least for me, than it is now. I was a downright mess!_ "I can just imagine what would happen if they saw me have a panic attack. Or heard all that horrid s-s-st-stuttering every time I tried to talk." Elsa shuddered at that idea. _Not to mention all those hurtful comments I've heard from Dad. That past version of me wouldn't have been able to put up with that at all…_

"Well, that didn't happen, so don't worry about it," Anna replied quickly. _Elsa is right, though. I bet Elsa would have been taken away from me again, and Elsa wouldn't have been strong enough to stand up for herself. And Dad would have been all over Elsa's case for the way she spoke then judging from the way he reacted when she started stammering because she was nervous for a minute last night…_

Elsa began pacing back and forth across her sister's messy room, trying to decide what to do. Suddenly she knew. "Anna, I'm going to go back and freeze that lock. I'll have Kai replace it with a normal one and not say a word about it," she decided. _That way it's like I'm completely unruffled; I'm not mad or upset; and yet Dad will know I won't put up with that when I show up at breakfast. That should be okay._

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!**


	8. Important Deduction

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **bananas-rule-2015-I changed the 'finally':)**

 **Guest-Okay, Mandy it is!:) Don't worry about the locked doors-Elsa already fixed it.;) And yeah, who else would have done that?:/ Elsa figures out what's what in this chapter, so see if your suspicion is correct.;) (Granted, she's deducing it from something she hears, but I'll go ahead and say that her deductions are correct.:))**

 **Frozen789- _Dumb_ Agdar if you ask me...I mean, he has eyes, he should be able to just LOOK at Elsa and see that he's wrong.:P**

 **Guest-I'm updating as quick as I can:) Thanks for the review!:) There should be a new chapter by Saturday:)**

 **Arendelle Knight-Agreed. He's just assuming Elsa won't do anything, that's what. Because she wouldn't have before.:/**

 **On to the story!:)**

At breakfast a short while later, Elsa just acted as she usually did, as if nothing had happened. "Good morning, Mom, Dad," she said cheerfully.

"Didn't expect to see you here this morning," Agdar said.

 _I bet. Well, too bad. I'm not that scared little girl anymore,_ Elsa thought. "Anna, would you pass the syrup, please?" she asked, ignoring that comment.

"Elsa, would you be willing to show me a bit of what your powers can do later?" Idun asked.

Elsa's face lit up, the issue with the lock forgotten. "Do you really mean it? I would love to!" _Mom wants to watch me use my powers?! For real?_

"Well, I don't see how I can try to get used to you if I don't let you show me," Idun replied. "Just don't…get too close to me while you're using your powers, if that's all right."

 _It's more than all right, Mom. We have to start somewhere. If watching me from a distance is where we start, that's definitely okay with me._ Elsa nodded, still smiling. "That's definitely all right."

"Don't encourage her, Idun. I'm already wondering why she hasn't abided by obvious wishes of her parents," Agdar said.

"Agdar, what does that mean?" Idun asked suspiciously. "Elsa hasn't done anything. If you're still mad she hit you with a snowball yesterday, you need to realize that was an accident. She and Anna were playing together. An activity _we_ took away from her. Let the girl be."

"She's twenty-one years old, not eight! She doesn't need to play like she's a little kid anyway, let alone with snow!"

"What do you expect her to do?! She gains control of her powers after thirteen years; of course she's going to play with her sister! How could Elsa truly grow up properly isolated and locked away in her room? Elsa is book-smart and people-smart in the sense that she reads people well-I just know she is. But she's still eight inside in some ways. She didn't-"

"Don't say those same saccharine things you told me last night. Elsa is twenty-one and the queen since she refuses to abdicate, and she should act like it!"

"It isn't saccharine; it's the truth! Elsa had no childhood after that accident, and we both know it. She was still a little girl, and we treated her like a convicted criminal. That isn't fair! Like I was saying, part of her is still eight, because that's when the last healthy interaction with other people was for her. Leave her alone. She can act like a toddler for all I care as long as she isn't doing it in public. Besides, anyone that can pull a draw from you in a chess game is plenty intelligent and perceptive."

"You make it sound like we tossed her in the dungeon all her life."

"We kept a _little eight-year-old girl_ locked in her room twenty-four seven, Agdar. How on earth is that all right?!"

"Elsa was dangerous. She nearly killed Anna! Of course I would think it was wrong if she didn't have those powers of hers. We didn't lock Anna in her room."

"That's why Anna isn't the one that tried to commit suicide. That is _not_ ok. I don't care what abnormalities Elsa has, whether she has ice powers or whatever; she's just a young girl. She can't help she was born like that. Mistreating her isn't going to so-called 'fix' her. I can easily see now that she needed someone to actually love and take care of her. Something her own parents _never_ did for her, even before that accident. There is no way to cure her; she's going to be like that permanently. So we should just give her a chance. Elsa is our little girl too-she's just…different."

"Of course we took care of her. She never was wanting for shelter, food or clothing. Elsa just never learned control. In the present, she _still_ hasn't learned control. She's flaunting her personal problem all over Arendelle as if it were normal!"

"Agdar, just look at that dress your daughter is wearing. All the details. There is no way Elsa could have made that thing if she wasn't in control. Stand up, please, Elsa, and come over here."

Elsa slowly pushed away from the table and walked around to her parents' side, keeping her eyes down. _I hate being argued about. There's a rift between Mom and Dad now, and it's because of me. They're mad at each other because of me._

"Now just _look_ at her, Agdar. The only flaw with that dress is that it's utterly scandalous. Elsa made tiny ice crystals along her neckline; there's detailed patterns on her sleeves. She's made a filmy cape with all those unique snowflakes all over it for goodness sakes. That is _perfect_ control," Idun said firmly.

Elsa felt very embarrassed with her parents looking her up and down simply because of her dress. "May I please go back and sit down now?" she asked hopefully.

"Please wait a minute, sweetie," Idun said quietly. "If it's all right to call you that," she added quickly, not wanting her daughter to feel like her mother was treating her like a baby.

Elsa blushed fiercely, but she nodded. "It's very much okay." _I don't remember Mom ever calling me that in my life. It makes me feel like…like I'm a normal daughter, instead of just the messed up and abnormal one…_

Anna grinned from her seat as she watched their mother actually _care_ about Elsa. _Well, Mom cares about Elsa anyways. That's good. She isn't comfortable with Elsa's powers, but at least Mom is trying._

"Elsa can't parade around in her dress-up clothes like she's five!"

Elsa lifted her gaze now and looked straight at her father. _My ice-dress is not dress-up clothes!_ "It's _my_ dress. I made it, and it isn't my 'dress-up clothes', Dad. I feel more like…like _me_ in my ice-dress. And I look perfectly fine." Hoping that more information might put her father at ease regarding the dress, she added, "I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it's fabric made of ice. Would you like to touch it to see for yourself, Dad?" Elsa held out her good arm and gave her father a hopeful smile.

Anna banged her elbows on the table on purpose, trying to get the attention away from her sister, sure that Elsa was just setting herself up to be disappointed. _Elsa keeps trying and trying, and Dad just won't give her a chance. It's not fair…_

"Elbows, Anna," Idun scolded. She hesitantly laid her hand on Elsa's arm herself when she realized Agdar wasn't going to do anything. "Agdar, look. Elsa is not freezing my hand. Her dress sleeve just feels cool to the touch. She's not an ice cube."

Elsa was happy her mother was actually defending her, but her father looked disgusted with her; and it made Elsa's sensitive heart…ache. "Dad, please? It's just… _me_ ," she whispered. "Can't you please just…give me a chance? Please? I know I'm not the daughter you wanted-that's Anna, and that's okay. I don't mind that. But I'm still a…a person. My ice powers don't make me…cold inside. It _hurts_ that…that…" Elsa's voice finally broke and she turned and fled from the room before she could lose control or something. _Why did I try to explain? It's hopeless. All I did was make myself look stupid. Nothing but an emotional young girl that can't hold herself together for a serious discussion._

* * *

Elsa ran into her room and paused just long enough to take off her sling-she did _not_ want to lay on top of her broken arm again-before flinging herself facedown on her bed and muffling her cries with a pillow. _Why won't Dad just…give me a chance? I don't even think he understands that he's still hurting me inside. And now I've probably made everything worse than before by running off like that._ Elsa clutched the two dolls of her and Anna that her sister had given her for her birthday tightly. They usually just sat on her bed, but right now she wanted them close to her. _At least I have Anna. I have Anna. It's okay, Elsa. You're going to be fine._

Elsa felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and then heard Anna's reassuring voice. "It's gonna be all right, Elsa. It's all right," Anna kept saying. Anna didn't fuss at her sister this time; she could tell Elsa was more than minorly upset and she didn't want to risk making it worse.

Elsa's cries slowly quieted as she finally relaxed. "Anna…Dad hates me," she said, her face still half-buried in the pillow facing away from Anna. "I try and try, and nothing, absolutely _nothing_ helps…"

"Elsa…don't expose all your hurt feelings like that again," Anna said quietly. "I mean, don't do that dumb 'conceal, don't feel' thing; but do _not_ say anything like that again. Not in front of Dad. Next time excuse yourself and you can tell me about it instead. Something's funny with why Dad is acting like this. I'm not excusing him, but something's telling me it's not _all_ him. Most of it, yeah, but something's goofy. It's got something to do with the abdication thing. That and something's also goofy with where Mom and Dad have been, too…"

Elsa heard faint shouts from downstairs. _Mom and Dad are arguing…_ "Did you get sent out of the room?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I was already going to leave. I wanted to see if you were all right."

Elsa sat up, still clutching her dolls tightly. "Well…want to eavesdrop? If something _is_ goofy, maybe we'll learn something." She felt slightly immature for even suggesting such a thing, but Elsa was almost a hundred percent positive that Anna's suspicions were right, and she wanted to know.

"I'm all in!" Anna said excitedly. _Elsa wants to eavesdrop?! That is so not her. But I know why she wants to, I think._ She glanced at Elsa's splinted arm and gently touched her sister's fingers. "And I still worry about you, you little stinker. You run around like you're perfectly fine, and you aren't. I'm so afraid you're gonna break it again or something. What if it doesn't heal quite right and nobody knows 'til it's too late? Or-"

"I'll be fine. I promise. Please don't start treating me like a china doll or something." Elsa smiled and squeezed Anna's hand as best she could with that hand…which wasn't very well. She could move her fingers without much effort, but other than that, her arm was completely immobilized from palm to elbow. And it still ached, although it didn't hurt anymore unless she bumped it on something. "Well, that wasn't very convincing that I'd be fine," she quipped. Elsa hopped up and hugged Anna instead. "Come on, let's go be immature and see what we can learn from eavesdropping on Mom and Dad."

* * *

"…don't know what…promised, but…Elsa's happiness for goodness sakes!"

"What about Arendelle?!"

"…figure out something…refuse…hurt that girl again!"

"…didn't abdicate…her fault…only released contingent on.."

Elsa gripped her sister's hand tightly as the two of them listened from down the hall. _What in the world?! Where have Mom and Dad been? 'Released contingent on…' That implies they've been held hostage somewhere, right? Contingent on what?_ Elsa gasped as she suddenly realized exactly what the problem was. "Contingent on getting me off the throne," she whispered. She ran off, yanking Anna along behind her.

"What are we doing, Elsa?!" Anna hissed. "I thought we were listening!"

Elsa clapped her hand over her sister's mouth and shook her head, signaling that they needed to be quiet at the moment. _I don't know what's going on exactly, but I'm almost positive Mom and Dad were being kept hostage somewhere. And now they've been released, but only on the contingency that Dad reclaims the throne. Who on earth would even attempt such a thing?!_ Elsa searched her mind, trying to think of any clue she had that would tell her anything. _Surely someone dropped a hint at my coronation, even subconsciously, right? But what?_

 _'I just wish to tell you that Weselton shared Arendelle's loss of the Venskabet and the king and queen three years ago,'_ Elsa remembered a certain duke telling her. "Anna, I think I know."

"Know what?" Anna asked as the two of them plopped down on the floor in Elsa's room. "And what's 'contingent' anyway?"

"In this usage, it means 'dependent on'. If I'm understanding correctly, Mom and Dad have been held hostage somewhere-I think Weselton-and they were released on the condition that Dad retakes the throne. I think." Elsa frowned as she fiddled nervously with the end of her braid. _If that's true…what on earth have I done?! And what a farce Weselton has been playing. And I've been played for a fool, haven't I? I suppose there's no way I could have known, but still!_

Anna scowled, but she wasn't surprised. "Well, that's not really a big deal. Weselton can't control what you do. If they invade Arendelle or something, you can just freeze them out like you did last time. Besides, you signed a treaty with the Southern Isles and Weselton when they came here before, remember?"

Elsa shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Look, let's face it. I've been played. Mom and Dad have been played. For three years. Before the coronation, there was no way I could have known. But after, I think the blame falls on me. That duke made a comment to me at the coronation that I thought was a bit off, but I fluffed it off and attributed it to me being so inept at socializing. The treaty is no good anymore, if you really think about it. Holding another country's former monarchs hostage makes any friendly agreements completely nullified in my mind." She paused for a moment as she started pacing back and forth across her room. _What am I supposed to do? Not only do I have trouble with Dad anyway, this all just makes it worse…_ "I know I shouldn't just let Weselton slide with that, if that is indeed what has happened, because it makes me appear spineless and a pushover. But I can't justify making an attack myself!"

"Good grief, Elsa, quit pacing. You're gonna wear a hole in your carpet," Anna said. "And I don't think this is your fault. There's no way you could have known, even after the coronation."

"It's because I'm a twenty-one year old girl!" Elsa nearly shouted now. "I bet it's because that duke thought a _stupid_ eighteen-year-old girl would be easier to deal with-read, take advantage of economically-than Dad! And since I'm _weird_ and _abnormal_ and a _monster_ and a _freak_ and _defective_ and whatever else, now he'd rather have Dad back instead!" _And I probably haven't been the easy to take advantage of, inexperienced kid that duke was hoping for, either. I'm not stupid. I cut off trade with Weselton not just because of that assassination attempt; it was all that money I know he was lining his own pockets with. Cheating Arendelle for years on end…I knew it, but I couldn't prove it._

 _Did Elsa really just say that? She's calling herself names again…_ Anna hopped up and put both hands on her sister's shoulders. "Elsa, do you still really think of yourself like that?" she asked, almost afraid of what Elsa's answer might be.

Elsa considered the question for a minute before replying. _Well…I'm mostly happy with who I am now. But I_ am _a freak of nature. I'm unusual, so…? I don't know. I don't want to get rid of my powers-they're part of who I am, and nothing can change that._ "I'm not a monster and I'm not defective," she decided aloud. "And I'm not a…a worthless little thing nobody-"

"I don't know what you were about to say, but quit even thinking about it, Elsa," Anna interrupted. "You're making yourself upset."

Elsa willingly let her sister hug her close. Elsa may have dumped that mindset, but thinking about the past still hurt sometimes. _The past is in the past. I'm okay now. I'm not freaking out. It's normal to feel upset sometimes. I have emotions, just like Anna or anyone else. It's just…_ "Why do I still feel upset sometimes about things that aren't happening anymore?" she asked. "I want to let it go-I really do…"

Anna frowned and plopped back down on the carpet with Elsa right beside her. _I hate it when Elsa asks questions like that. She still gets confused about the way her feelings are supposed to work, and I hate knowing just why she's like that._ "Elsa, you've spent way longer trying to get rid of your emotions than actually giving yourself a chance to deal with them. And you were treated _horribly_ for years since you were eight. That's why. And I hate it when you ask things like that."

"I'm sorry," Elsa said softly, turning her face away from her sister. "I'm sorry I'm still…messed up inside sometimes. I won't ask you dumb questions anymore. I promise." _It's been two months, Elsa. Get yourself together, for goodness sakes. 'Deal with emotions', my foot! I'm twenty-one years old, and I couldn't even answer my own dumb question. No wonder Anna is tired of it._ She disappeared into her bathroom and shut the door, but didn't lock it. She hated locked doors. She despised them with a passion. And now she was shutting Anna out again. Why had she run in here anyway? _I was embarrassed and hurt. Those are emotions. Negative ones. Terrific._

Elsa heard Anna's signature knock on the door, but she didn't answer.

"I'm gonna count to twenty, just in case you're, um, doing your business or something, even though I'm pretty sure you're just sitting in there. Then I'm coming in," Anna called. "Elsa?" _Elsa's been acting…not herself since Mom and Dad came back. She's getting hurt and upset more easily…what if she reverts back to like she was before?_ Anna waited the promised twenty seconds before knocking again and pushing the door open. There sat Elsa in the far corner, sitting curled up with her knees pulled to her chest, her forehead resting on her knees. Anna said nothing and just scooped up her big sister and went to sit back in the comfy chair in the corner of Elsa's room. _I'm not letting you be hurt again if I can help it. And I won't tell Elsa I hate it when she asks certain things ever again. That didn't help._ "Hold on a second, Elsa. I'm just gonna set you down for a minute."

Elsa just nodded and didn't say anything. She felt rotten inside now for wishing she could just live alone with Anna again. She'd been almost completely fine before their parents had come back. Now she felt hurt and messed up inside again. _And it's not Mom, either. She may not like my powers, but she's trying. She's giving me a chance. It's…Dad._ Elsa snuggled closer to her sister when Anna held her on her lap again. _Well, whatever dumb questions I ask, Anna isn't mad at me, so I'm not going to worry about it._

Anna gently lifted her sister's injured arm and then settled it back on a pillow. "There you go. Now I'll take care of the rest of you," she informed Elsa, lightly tapping her on the forehead. "You aren't acting like…present you. You seem to be getting upset and hurt more easily than you were before. I do _not_ mind making you feel better, but I'm still worried about you. Can you tell me what's hurting you?"

Elsa closed her eyes as a single tear trickled down her cheek. _Now I'm crying for no reason. Quit it, Elsa. Anna may not mind you breaking down, but you're better now. You don't have to get like this anymore._ "Dad," she whispered finally.

Anna felt like exploding, but she would _not_ do that right now. Maybe later. Right now she would take care of her sister. "All right. Before we talk about that, what else is bothering you?"

"I'm…I'm worried I'll do the wrong thing about… _everything_! Anna, I can't just be selfish. Is risking a war really worth my own happiness? It's just not, no matter how much I'd like it to be. Maybe I _should_ abdicate. I have an important position in Arendelle, and it's my responsibility to do what's best for my country, not just Elsa, the little girl who just wants to heal completely from her past and be with her sister. I just don't know what to do…" Elsa's voice trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say. _What_ is _the right decision? Even if I dump my own feelings, I don't know whether it's better for Arendelle for me to abdicate or not. I just don't know. Maybe I'm just not thinking clearly because I know whatever I do_ will _affect me in a big way anyhow._

"Anything else?" Anna asked. _Ok, so Dad's hurting Elsa and she's also scared she's going to make a bad political decision. Maybe I can help her…maybe?_

Elsa just stared at her sister as if she had two heads. "Isn't that enough?! Anna, political decisions affect thousands of people. You know that!"

"Well, let's deal with the first problem first. A hurt and scared Elsa won't be able to make important decisions very well, so let's change that first," Anna said firmly. "D'you…want to talk about it?"

"It won't help, Anna," Elsa said quietly. "You may be able to fix my feelings, but you aren't going to be able to change Dad's. I'm always going to be the messed up and defective one to him. It's _always_ been like that. Even Mom thinks I have something wrong with me. 'She can't help she was born like that.' 'There is no way to cure her-she's going to be like that permanently.'" Elsa recalled almost every word from that discussion-argument-she'd heard at breakfast. "At least Mom is willing to give me a chance. That makes me feel better anyways," she added.

Anna squeezed her sister close. "I'm _glad_ there's no way to so-called 'cure' you. I think you're perfect like you are. I mean, you have built-in superpowers. How is that not cool? Pun intended!" _I wish Elsa hadn't heard that in the first place…_

Elsa smiled a bit at that. "Do you think maybe I should try to do what Dad wants me to, at least about trivial things? Maybe that would help. What do you think, Anna?"

"Uh…I'm not sure what I think of that," Anna answered carefully. "I know you're just trying to be nice and reconnect with Dad, but what are you going to do if he asks you to stay in your room again? Or not want you to leave the castle grounds? You'd better have a line drawn that you aren't gonna cross, or he'll take advantage of you whether it's on purpose or not."

"I'll be okay as long as I have you with me," Elsa said with certainty. _I know that._

"I don't care what you say, Elsa, you're _not_ going to be ok if you let yourself be mistreated again. 'Cause that's what going to happen. You'll survive easily enough as long as we're together, sure; but you won't be happy," Anna said.

* * *

Elsa hopped up and went to look at herself in the mirror. Elsa's big blue eyes blinked back at her in her reflection. _What are you trying to do?_ the 'other' Elsa seemed to say. _Please don't turn me back to that terrified girl trying to conceal who she is again._ Elsa ignored her inner self's wants and turned back to Anna. "Will you put my hair up?" she asked. _Maybe that will help?_

"No," Anna replied instantly. "I'll do lots of other things for you; I'll redo your braid if you want or put it in pigtail braids like mine or something; but no, I shan't put your hair up, 'cause I know why you want to. You want to do that so bad-you'll just have to wait for your arm to get better and do it yourself. I almost a hundred percent guarantee you won't want to by then."

Elsa sighed but didn't press the issue. "What can I do that would help Dad just… _approve_ of me?" Elsa asked quietly. "I'd just be happy with that…he doesn't have to love or care about me, just…just approve of me. That would be enough…I…I'm…I want our family to be _whole._ Not with our parents arguing because of me. Not with me being the weird one…the outsider that doesn't quite belong because she's different. Different is okay, but I don't like feeling like I should think there's something wrong with me…" _I believed that for long enough. I'm fine the way I am._

Anna quickly ran over to Elsa and gave her a hug. "You know there's nothing wrong with you, sis. You can't make people like you. Don't change yourself to try to get Dad to approve of you. And Mom…just give it a while, and I think that will be just fine. She cares about you, Elsa; I know she does. She might think there's something wrong with you, but she _has_ accepted that your powers are a permanent part of you. So start with that, 'kay?" She stepped away from her sister and just looked at her for a moment. "Y'know…I really do love your ice-dress, but what if you made a less, um, revealing one? That way you could still wear _an_ ice-dress and Mom and Dad can't use the 'That's scandalous!' card. ButIdoreallythinkyoulookfine!" Anna finished quickly.

Elsa smiled and ran off into the bathroom. "I'll be right back!" she called a moment later from inside. _Okay, let's see…oh, good grief, I'm no fashion designer. I'll just do…this._ Elsa closed her eyes and pictured what she wanted to make in her head. A few seconds later, Elsa looked at herself in the mirror; then nodded. This would work, and she still felt like… _Elsa_ in it. She still preferred her original ice-dress, now hanging on a hanger on the door, but she did like this one too.

* * *

"Anna, how's this?" Elsa asked as she tiptoed out of the bathroom. "Better?"

Anna's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. There stood her sister wearing an almost cobalt blue dress that shimmered and sparkled in the light. "How'd you make cobalt blue ice?" Anna asked finally.

Elsa shrugged. "I don't know. I just pictured it, and it happened. Is this better, though?" Elsa's shimmering blue skirt swished around her feet. An empire waist bodice lined with tiny silver ice crystals made her look like a tiny star in a dusky sky. She adjusted one of her flutter sleeves and looked back at her sister hopefully. _Is it okay, Anna?_ I _like it, but that's not the point…_

"Well, you look pretty, Elsa, but I don't know what Mom and Dad are gonna think, if that's what you mean," Anna told her. She giggled and then added, "You kind of look like a…a…the little girl of a star and sky angel creature or something. Yeah, that's what it is!" Anna suddenly burst into laughter and couldn't stop.

Elsa made a face. "Quit laughing at me. If it's so funny, tell me what I should change and I'll change it," she informed Anna.

"MY SISTER IS A STAR AND SKY ANGEL CREATURE!" Anna shrieked. "I oughta tell Dad _that_ and see what he's got to say to that! He and Mom made a little sparkling angel girl! Maybe you're a child demi-goddess! It's so funny!"

"I'm _what_?!" Elsa wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or just crack up laughing along with her sister.

"Snow Queen Elsa of Arendelle! Demi-goddess of winter!" Anna teased. "Good grief, Elsa, I'm sorry, but you're so funny and-hey, stop that!" Anna took off running out of her sister's room as Elsa chased after her holding a snowball larger than her head floating above her left hand.

"Take your nonsense back!" Elsa shouted back. "It's ridiculous! Funny but ridiculous!"

"STAIRS ALERT!" Anna screamed.

Too late. Elsa barreled right into her, dropped the snowball…and both of them went tumbling down the stairs. Elsa shrieked in surprise and instinctively snowed over the rest of the stairs. Both girls came to a stop against a large pile of snow at the bottom of the staircase. Elsa lay on her back in the snow, unable to stop giggling. _What in the world did we just do?! Anna and I are crazy._

"What do you two think you're doing?!"

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	9. Love Will Thaw

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **CieloFede-I PM'ed you my spoiler-y reasonings and whatnot on that subject, so...yeah. I won't make you reread the exact same thing over again here, lol.:P :) Thanks for the review!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-And I PM'ed you too and I won't make you reread the same stuff over again either, lol.:P Thank you for your review!:)**

 **Guest Mandy-Thank you:) Yep, Anna looks after Elsa pretty much all the time and now Elsa's mother is trying, too.:) I didn't think you could publish fanfiction (you know, 'cause the characters and stuff don't belong to the fanfic writer), but thank you for the compliment!:) Kind of blah summer, honestly, lol.:P I haven't been to Busch Gardens nearly as much as I've wanted to and it's been insanely hot [although it isn't at the moment-yay!] and I have to go out of town for two weeks starting tomorrow and just...yeah. I'll shut up now.:P Thank you for the review!:)**

 **princessdianaofparadiseisland-I don't know why Elsa can make different colors of ice either. Which is why Elsa herself doesn't have an explanation for it in the Thanks for the review, sis!:)**

 **the green baron-Um...probably not. I just can't see Elsa doing that.:/ Although she will actually get mad chapter after next.:P I can totally see Elsa reaching a breaking point that makes her angry (the attack on the ice palace in the movie proves that), but I don't think she'd tell her father that exact thing.:P Plus she destroyed those shackles anyways.:) Thanks for the review!:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

Elsa's laughter abruptly ceased, and she was suddenly aware that her arm was bothering her…a lot. _I must have hurt it falling down the stairs like that, even with the snow…great. Not._ Elsa scrambled to her feet holding her broken arm against her chest. "Dad, I…Anna and I were just…playing," she finished lamely.

"Elsa, clean up the snow," Anna whispered in her ear. "That'll help."

Elsa quickly dissolved every bit of the snow all over the stairs and the pile that had broken her and Anna's fall, wincing when she had to stop holding her arm to do so. Elsa had left her sling upstairs since she'd taken it off to make the dress. _That hurts. I hope I didn't do anything to it again…_

"You know better than to do that, Elsa," Agdar said. "I expect such raucous behavior out of Anna, but not you. You're supposed to be setting a good example, and you could have gotten hurt, and-"

"Agdar, stop it," Idun interrupted. "Elsa's in pain, and you're scolding her. The only reason she shouldn't have been playing like that because she was going to get hurt, not because of setting good examples and such. Elsa, go upstairs with your sister and lie down. Please."

Elsa nodded and turned to head back upstairs with Anna's arm around her shoulders. "Anna, it _really_ hurts," she whispered as the two of them climbed upstairs. _I've bumped it lots of times before, and it didn't hurt nearly this bad. And I didn't land on it-I landed flat on my back. What did I do to it?_

Anna stopped for a moment to pick her sister up. "Come on, you little stinker. We'll figure out what happened." _Good grief, Elsa was just trying to play with me, and then she hurts herself. That isn't fair._

Elsa bit her lip as her changing position jostled her arm and just scrunched her eyes shut. _That seriously needs to stop. It almost hurts worse now than right after I broke it…_

"You doing all right?" Anna asked softly, trying her best to shift her sister's weight around as little as possible.

"No," Elsa answered truthfully. "It hurts…a lot…but I'll be okay," she finished, giving Anna a small smile.

Anna frowned. "I'm gonna lay you down on your bed, all right?" _If Elsa is outright admitting that's her arm is hurting her a lot, it must be really really bad…I hope there isn't anything seriously wrong…_

Elsa nodded and didn't make a sound as Anna gently laid her down on her bed and carefully slid a pillow under her arm. Elsa felt like something was wrong here-her arm was killing her and she felt no inclination to cry at all; and she'd started crying earlier because her father wouldn't accept her. _Maybe my feelings don't work quite right…I don't know…_

"Good grief, Elsa, you're, like, really tough. I'd probably be screaming my head off or something. Or bawling," Anna said. She could tell Elsa's arm was paining her considerably; Elsa was wincing and making other faces and she just looked uncomfortable, but she wasn't crying at all or even look like she was on the verge of doing so.

"You're far tougher emotionally than I am," Elsa replied, giving Anna a lopsided smile. _I guess we're even, I suppose._

Anna frowned. _Elsa has a high physical pain tolerance and has trouble dealing with people hurting her emotionally, and I'm the opposite? I think._ "Does it feel any better now?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. And I just want to know what…happened. Ow!" she exclaimed when a slight movement sent a throbbing pain down her arm again. "I've bumped it lots of times before, and it didn't…" Elsa stared up at the ceiling and sighed for a moment, "didn't hurt like this. I don't know what I did." _I hope it's nothing, but I don't think it's nothing…_

"You fell down the stairs, sweetie," Idun said now as she walked into the room. "I brought the doctor up here, Elsa. Let him look at it, please."

"I don't want to," Elsa replied, glancing at Anna, as if Anna was going to make everyone leave her alone.

"Sorry, sis, you don't get any backup on that! I'll hold your other hand though, 'kay?" Anna replied.

Elsa sighed and mentally stuck out her tongue at her sister. "Okay."

* * *

Elsa still had her eyes closed as she gripped Anna's hand tightly a short while later. Whatever had made her arm hurt so much had faded, leaving the usual dull ache behind. That didn't particularly bother her much.

"Well, she hasn't re-broken it, so she should be fine," the doctor told Idun. "Although she needs to take it easy about physical activities. Falling down the stairs doesn't help."

"That doesn't look like Elsa's other splint," Anna said, eyeing her sister's arm. "Does that make Elsa heal faster or something?"

Elsa opened her eyes now to see what Anna was talking about; then wished she hadn't and sighed rather dramatically, but didn't say anything. She had no wish to make a fuss again. All she wanted was to be left alone with her sister. "Are we finished now? It doesn't hurt so much anymore…I'm fine."

"Queen Elsa, you cannot partake in such activities until that's healed properly. You're lucky you didn't break it all over again or something. Try to rest more. Let your family help you with things, all right?"

"I didn't hurt my elbow," Elsa muttered, slightly annoyed about the whole thing. She sat up and scowled at her arm, looking closely at her new splint. _I can't even bend my elbow now. It's not like I could do much of anything with that hand anyway, but still._ "Why didn't you just put the other one back on?" Elsa asked.

"That should keep you from trying to use that hand so much. You'll heal faster if you don't keep stressing it."

 _Not quite four weeks, not quite four weeks. Then it'll be fine. Okay. I can deal with that. I'd rather be injured forever than deal with my family's problems anyway,_ Elsa thought. "Okay. I can't wait 'til it's better," Elsa said in a more cheerful voice.

* * *

A few minutes later, Elsa found herself being hugged tightly by both Anna-that was no surprise-and her mother-that was definitely a surprise. "Mom?" she whispered. "You're…hugging… _me_?" _Me? Mom's hugging_ me _?_ The last time her mother had hugged her, she'd been very little. Elsa wasn't even sure exactly how old she had been. Elsa's blue eyes welled with tears, but not a single snowflake began falling around her. She was so, so… _happy._ She hadn't even asked for a hug. "Mama c-cares about…m-me… _me_ …" Elsa stuttered out. "Mama cares about me!" she repeated, as if she couldn't quite believe it.

Anna slipped away from her mother and sister, knowing the whole thing was something very special for Elsa. She could hug Elsa anytime; she'd let her reconnect with their mother by herself. _Well, Elsa has one of her parents 'back'. That's good._

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Idun said quietly. _Elsa sounds incredulous that her own mother cares about her. What have Agdar and I done to her? She's been traumatized because of something she had no control over. Elsa didn't ask to be born like she is._ "I'm sorry for all that abuse your father and I caused you. I'm sorry your father and I made an…abnormal child and hurt her like that. It's not your fault you were born like you are, and-"

"M-Mama?" Elsa questioned. "Don't feel bad for making a little girl like me. I'm okay. You didn't purposely give me ice powers. They're just part of me, like having blue eyes and fair skin. I'm _my_ normal, just like everyone else in the world. Is…is that all right?" _I even turned out mostly fine, even with all those awful years before. I'm definitely okay._

Idun held her daughter close and just stroked Elsa's platinum hair. "Certainly all right, Elsa. I admit to not being fully comfortable around you, but if my eldest daughter has ice powers, then she has ice powers. You're still my little girl, powers or no. I promise I'll make a sincere effort to get used to you- _all_ of you. What happened before was not fair. I can't fix the past, but I'll do my best to fix the future."

"The past is in the past," Elsa replied softly. "It doesn't matter anymore." _She doesn't like my powers, but she's accepted that they're just part of me. And Mom actually apologized for what happened. She's holding me._ "I remember you stroking my hair when I was little…like three or something," she whispered. Elsa couldn't keep her tears from falling, and she wrapped her good arm around her mother's neck, her injured arm still resting awkwardly in her lap.

Idun frowned, realizing Elsa was crying and not losing control at all. "Elsa, what is the key to controlling your powers? You're crying, and I don't see a single snowflake…well, all right, I see a few, but you aren't icing the room or making it snow heavily or something."

Elsa hesitated, not wanting to guilt trip her mother about it. "It's…um…I only know how because of Anna," Elsa said finally.

"You have to be around Anna to control it? She isn't in the room right now," Idun replied, a bit puzzled.

"Love will thaw," Elsa said almost inaudibly. "I…it's…it's love…but I have to be happy, too…if I'm scared or angry or upset or something, I have trouble, _especially_ if I'm scared…I…I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner. My family is messed up because of me, and I'm sorry. Really, really sorry!" _Good grief, Elsa, calm down. The last thing you need is to lose control right now…_

Idun felt more than a bit alarmed at the snowflakes now falling quickly around Elsa, but she was determined not to leave Elsa as she'd done if Elsa lost control before. Suddenly struck by an idea, she quickly wrapped the comforter off Elsa's bed around her daughter and continued holding her. This way she wasn't in direct contact with Elsa, but she wasn't abandoning her either. _Love. Elsa never figured it out because no one showed her love or care for ten years. The one person that would have helped her wasn't allowed to talk to her. Elsa loved her family, but she was depressed, miserable, and scared and so she couldn't ever have the chance to figure it out…_ "Elsa, this family is not messed up because of you. It's messed up because parents made awful mistakes. It isn't your fault, and it isn't Anna's. It's mine and your father's," Idun said firmly.

Elsa knew quite well that she wasn't nearly cold enough to be too cold to touch safely without a blanket around her, but she didn't care. Anna had held her wrapped in a blanket when she'd had panic attacks right after the Great Thaw, and that was because Elsa literally grew far too cold to touch when that happened. Elsa knew her mother had done that now because she wasn't comfortable touching her because of the snowflakes caused by her crying, but it didn't matter to her. Her mother wasn't leaving her or pushing her away; she was actually _trying_ to deal with Elsa now. Elsa's sad snowflakes abruptly disappeared at her contented feelings inside. "Thank you for not leaving me," Elsa said gratefully. _I could have easily dealt with those tears on my own now, but Mom actually stayed with me even though I know she felt uncomfortable. That makes me happy._

"The snowflakes are completely gone with no trace!" Idun said in surprise.

Elsa hopped up and walked several feet away from her mother. She gave Idun a lopsided smile and then made her signature snowflake in her left hand. "I really can control it now," she said confidently. "I still make mistakes, but I can fix them. Do you…do you still want to see part of what I can do?" _Mom isn't completely comfortable around me, so I'll stay over here._

"As long as it doesn't involve falling down the stairs into a pile of snow, certainly," Idun told her. "I don't want to see you playing like a wild child like that again until your arm is completely healed. Then do such things as much as you like, as long as it's in private."

Elsa stifled a giggle at that, but she nodded. _I don't even know quite how that happened. One second I was chasing Anna and the next we were tumbling down the stairs…_ "Okay." Elsa thought for a moment before making an ice target on the wall opposite from her door. Then she went out into the hallway, saying not to move and to please watch.

Rapid-fire icicles hit dead center on her bull's eye, splitting the previous icicle every time. Elsa was just about to see if she could do it any faster when her sister and her father came up next to her. "Hi, Dad; hi, Anna," she said cheerfully.

"What are you doing shooting icicles on purpose like that, Elsa?" Agdar asked, sounding more curious than anything else.

"Elsa is showing me things her powers can do, Agdar. Give the girl a break," Idun said. "Just so you know, I just saw Elsa cry and she did not lose control. All she did was make snowflakes accidentally, which immediately disappeared the second she was happy again."

"If she made snowflakes accidentally, she _did_ lose control."

"Agdar, I tell you, Elsa _immediately_ made the snowflakes disappear! I saw her do it! I think her emotions are expressed through the ice and snow she makes, just like how you can tell if anyone else if upset or scared or angry by looking at their faces. Do you know what keeps Elsa's powers in control? _Love._ Love!"

"Please excuse me; I believe I'll go downstairs with Anna," Elsa said now. She had no interest in hearing another argument revolving around her. It was sure to go in circles and get nowhere. _I'll just go see if there's any business I need to take care of first, and then I'll go play with Anna._

* * *

Elsa's parents watched her go off down the hall with her left arm linked with her sister's for a moment. "Agdar, how can you not see what a mistake we made?" Idun asked. "Elsa is our little girl too…"

"She doesn't look it," Agdar muttered.

"You're biased against her because she looks different?! What on earth does that have to do with anything?!"

"Nobody in our family line has that platinum hair Elsa has! Nobody except…"

"Elsa is like…like a special piece of starlight," Idun said, thinking of how Elsa looked in that shimmering cobalt blue dress with the tiny silvery ice crystals. "She is a gift, and we treated her like the opposite. Agdar, Elsa would love you to death as her father if you would let her. She's already completely forgiven us for all those years of pain she was dealing with. You should just give her a chance."

Agdar hesitated. "Idun, there wasn't anything else we could have done. She was dangerous and nearly killed Anna when she was eight. And now she claims she can freeze metal to pieces. Elsa must be far stronger than you or I remember. Do you know what kind of extreme temperatures are needed to cause something like that? Hundreds of degrees below zero, that's what. If Elsa can really do that, she doesn't just control ice and snow…she controls _everything_ below a certain temperature, most likely."

"We should have started trying other things to help Elsa once it became obvious what we were doing wasn't helping her. And of course she's stronger than we remember. Number one, she never knew what her full potential was in the first place; and number two, we always knew Elsa's powers grew in strength as she got older. Agdar, Elsa _is_ in control. Her powers are based off her emotions, so any little mistake she may make is easily fixed the second she's happy again."

"Even if she's in control, she shouldn't be waltzing about making snow all over the staircase and whatever else she's been doing. It's like Elsa is celebrating the very thing that's wrong with her. I know none of us want anyone to hate her or something."

"Well, better she celebrate it and be able to control it than struggle to conceal it and spiral out of control. Agdar, there isn't any point in Elsa trying to hide her abilities any longer anyway. The whole kingdom knows about it now, and whatever has happened, it must not matter because the whole kingdom loves her."

"Weselton doesn't."

"Doggone it, Agdar! That's the same country that cheated Arendelle for years and we could never fully prove it. That duke cooked up a scheme that the best criminals in the world would envy. The _only_ reason it hasn't worked is because Elsa isn't an average giggly dumb teenage girl. Just think about it! I think it has little to do with Elsa's powers."

"Take the king and queen hostage but claim they're dead so their eighteen-year-old daughter is in charge…" Agdar paused, considering the whole thing. _There must be financial documents missing, or Elsa would have stopped what was going on instantly. She isn't stupid._ "Most eighteen-year-old girls would be easily taken advantage of politically, and Elsa wasn't. She probably shot down any questionable propositions immediately… You know, Idun, you act like you think I hate Elsa, and that's not true. What I hate is those powers of hers, not _Elsa_."

"Those powers are part of her, and we need to accept that. We can't treat her as less of a person because she's different. We forced Elsa to conceal her own emotions for years, and she has feelings just like the rest of us. That wasn't fair. Did you see her reaction earlier at breakfast when she tried to explain her ice-dress? Elsa was really upset when you wouldn't say anything pleasant to her. She just wants to be loved and accepted-I can see that now."

"There was no need for her to run off like that!"

"What did you expect her to do? She probably just didn't want to be seen crying!"

"Elsa can't do that every time someone doesn't like her immediately!"

"Well, she's functioned fine on her own for three years, so I don't think that needs to be a concern. If you don't like Elsa's powers, then tell her so but that you don't dislike her as a person. That will make her feel better. I know it will."

"She won't believe a word of it the second the abdication issue comes up again."

"Agdar, drop that topic. Or at least explain to Elsa. Everything. I imagine she's put two and two together, at least partly; but she is queen and she's made her decision. Weselton cannot make her do a thing."

"They can attack Arendelle, Idun. Unless Elsa has mysteriously conjured up an army or navy since we were here last, we do not have a large military force. Period. And while I can see Elsa's powers being valuable during a battle, I don't think she would actually do anything."

Silence.

"I will leave Elsa alone about that issue until her arm heals anyways. I still don't quite understand how she hurt herself in the first place."

"Agdar, she said she was fighting to get Anna back. You heard her during the chess game. Elsa may be sensitive, but she isn't that terrified girl we left here three years ago. She might very well be willing to use her powers to defend Arendelle, we don't really know. And what are you planning to do that Elsa needs to be completely healed for?"

"I am certainly not locking an injured girl up anywhere. You think I'm completely heartless, but I think that's just cruel."

Idun just stared at him. "Not only do I think Elsa could easily break out of most anywhere now, why on earth does that qualify as cruel and locking her in her room 24/7 before doesn't?!"

* * *

"Kiara, you're _positive_ you aren't roasting in that dress?" Elsa asked for the third time downstairs. She was happy the girl had actually shown up, but she was very worried the girl would be far too hot in that heavy winter dress.

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Positive for the third time, Snow Queen. I like this dress. Why'd you even own a winter dress like this anyhow? 'Cause you're immune to cold, right?"

Elsa's smile faded. _Because I wouldn't wear anything besides dresses like that before._ "I'd rather not talk about it," she replied after a moment. _And I'm glad I was able to give Kiara something nice. She loves that dress and I was only too happy to get rid of it._

Kiara shrugged. "Whatever. This dress is awesome. Super nice. I'm gonna come back to see you again. You're nice."

Elsa laughed. "That will be fine. You can tell the guards at the gate the queen has personally invited you next time."

"Nah, that's ok. The wall works fine."

"Kiara, how are you getting over the castle wall?" Elsa asked firmly. "I am not mad; I'm just curious."

"I have my ways," the girl answered cryptically.

Elsa didn't press the issue, even though a tiny voice in her mind was nagging that she probably should. "Please let me know when you're ready to explain."

"The charge is negative."

"It's negative, certainly, because there isn't one. Why would I bring a charge against you?" Elsa asked in confusion. _What on earth was that supposed to mean?! I don't get it._

"Neutral, then, huh?" Kiara asked, crossing her arms, amused at Elsa's puzzlement. "Or if I keep being a pain in the butt, will it be positive?"

Anna rolled her eyes. _I don't understand why Elsa puts up with this girl. She's so annoying…And weird._ " _I'll_ make it positive. Why are we talking about criminal charges anyway?"

"Who said anything about criminal charges?" Kiara replied instantly. She grinned and waved at Elsa before running off and out the main entrance doors. "Bye, Snow Queen! Thanks for the dress!"

* * *

Elsa doubled over with laughter the second the girl left. She had no idea why she thought that puzzling discussion was so funny, but she just did. Elsa didn't like going out in public and being treated as this powerful superior just because she was the ruler of Arendelle. She welcomed Kiara's 'disrespectful' manner, as long as she wasn't actually being rude. Kiara made her feel like just a regular girl, something Elsa had never experienced in her life, even before the accident when she was little. Elsa was always 'Princess Elsa' when she was in public; never just Elsa. The few times some child near her own age had treated her not as the crown princess, they had been mean to her or tried to bully her. Elsa still remembered one occasion where she and a very young Anna had gotten into a physical fight down by the fjord because several children a bit older than they were had tried to make them leave, and the two little girls had refused. That certainly was not the sort of 'normal' Elsa wanted.

"Good grief, Elsa, why on earth are you laughing like that?!" Anna asked, slightly annoyed.

"I don't know. The charges discussion, I suppose," Elsa replied, still giggling. "Anna, I know you don't like Kiara, but she's funny and she does need help whether she admits it or not. I'd like to actually get to know her and be a friend to her."

"She's ten years younger than you, Elsa! And rude. And annoying. And a pain in the butt. You gave her a nice dress; now be done with it!" Anna shook her head.

Elsa looked down and scuffed her toes back and forth on the floor. "I don't make friends outside the castle easily like you do," she said in a small voice. "Besides, don't you think I _should_ be nice to a young girl that I know lives on the street?" _I agree with Anna that Kiara can be rude, but she isn't like that all the time…_

Anna frowned and quickly hugged her sister close, being careful not to hurt Elsa's arm again. _So Elsa still dislikes socializing, but she wants to make friends. Makes sense. Just…WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DECIDE TO BE FRIENDS WITH KIARA?! Good grief._ "Well, if you want to make friends, I'm certainly not going to tell you not to, 'cause that's just mean. But please try to keep Kiara away from me, 'cause she really bugs me. Is that all right?"

Elsa nodded and just rested her chin on Anna's shoulder. "Perfectly fine." _I know I'm a lot older than Kiara is, but she doesn't seem to mind talking to me…wants to, even. I doubt if I could even make friends with any girl close to my own age. I'm probably far too childish in some ways and way too grown-up in others. That's fine, though…right?_

"And please be careful what you tell Kiara, because we don't know where she came from," Anna added.

"All right. Pinkie promise?" Elsa pulled away from her sister and held out her left hand, giving Anna a lopsided smile.

"Absolutely!" Anna grinned when she noticed Elsa wearing her signet ring she'd gotten for her birthday. "You still wear that thing rather often!"

"All the time unless I'm doing something where I'm afraid it will fall off," Elsa replied, looking at her ring engraved with a snowflake and Arendelle's crocus in the middle. "I'm surprised Mom and Dad haven't said anything about it!" Elsa held her hand over her heart. "I like it so much because it makes the perfect message on every one of my papers I have to sign, and because you designed it, Anna."

"Speaking of papers…can we pretty please invite Rapunzel to visit? You could invite her and her parents on behalf of seeing Mom and Dad again. I'm sure Aunt Primrose would love seeing her sister, don't you think?" Anna suggested.

Elsa laughed. "I had actually already thought of that and was going to ask you to help me write a letter. I tried to just print it myself with my left hand last night, but it looks awfully unprofessional and it also takes ages besides. So…may I please enlist the writing skills of Princess Anna?" she asked in a half-teasing tone. "But you have to use your very best handwriting. Not scribbly and blotchy with ink spots."

Anna stuck out her tongue but promptly agreed. Anna didn't like writing very much, but she did _not_ want Elsa trying to write with her right hand and risk further injuring her arm. "Yes, Elsa, my very best handwriting," she promised. "It still won't look as nice as yours, though, prob'ly…"

"Well, it will look much better than whatever I can do at the moment," Elsa replied. _I can either make little-kid printing with my left hand or…well, probably absolutely nothing. There's no way I can write with my right hand right now whether it made my arm hurt or not. And I still want to know what on earth I did to myself earlier that made it hurt like that. Unless…_ Elsa frowned as a sudden suspicion popped into her head. She had made snow all over the stairs when she and Anna fell simply on instinct. Maybe she'd done it with her right hand since she wasn't really thinking about it. That could have caused that reaction. _The other two times I've tried to use my powers with that hand, I just tried to make a snowflake and it hurt badly. Snow all over the staircase definitely could have made it hurt like it did earlier…terrific. Just terrific. Not._

"What's wrong, Elsa?" Anna asked, noticing her sister's expression.

"I was just thinking…never mind," Elsa said, not wanting to worry her sister about a suspicion she wasn't even sure was true or not. Besides, even if that _was_ what had happened, Elsa knew her arm wasn't healed yet. That reaction probably wouldn't happen once it was better.

Anna tossed her arm around Elsa's shoulders and didn't press the issue. _I bet Elsa's just annoyed with her arm. Which is understandable._ "C'mon, let's go work on the letter." _And I've SO got something to tell Elsa, too! We can make that faux engagement for Kristoff and me real!_

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**

 **P.S. I'm going to be out of town for the next two weeks starting tomorrow. This was definitely not my idea.-_- But anyways...I have quite a bit more of this story prewritten (I've tried to write a LOT in the last week or so, lol), so there will still be consistent updates while I'm out of town.:) I have about a chapter and a half prewritten for "The Coming Storm", so I'll be able to update that once a week for sure.**

 **I'm not going to update "Reluctant Friends From Another Land" (my Frozen/Hunger Games) crossover until either "Mind Games" or "The Coming Storm" is finished, whichever comes first. I probably shouldn't have started a crossover yet, lol. Too many things going at once.:/**

 **I'm going to TRY to keep writing while I'm out of town, but I wanted to let everyone know what's going on just in case I'm not able to write _anything_ while I'm gone.:P**

 **Sorry for all the lo-o-o-n-g A/N here.:P :)**


	10. Secret Revealed

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Well, Kiara's secret will be confirmed in this chapter.:) The subplot with Kiara will connect with the main storyline, like, ASAP. I don't want to give away a bunch of spoilers, but...yeah.:) Yay, that means I'm getting what I wanted to say across properly! I think Idun really does love and care about Elsa; she just isn't comfortable with Elsa's powers.:P Thank you.:) I know it's from Wicked, and I _think_ the song's title is "Popular".:) (Please lemme know if I'm right, lol:P)**

 **Frozen789-Rapunzel's coming in this very chapter actually!:)**

 **Guest Mandy-I'm glad you liked it.:) It's about time Elsa actually had some pleasant time with her mother...Elsa needs it. She's happier now, but she still needs her family to actually really, truly care about her.:) Yep, Agdar doesn't hate Elsa, "just" her powers. Still rotten but not as bad.:P Kiara's secret will be revealed in this chapter.:)**

 **Inkfinger2000-Thank you:) Agdar did meet Olaf way back in chapter 4, but he hasn't seen Marshmallow.:P I promise he'll meet Marshmallow eventually...probably not anytime soon, but eventually.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

THREE WEEKS LATER…

"I still don't like this," Elsa repeated for the umpteenth time that morning. " _Why_ did I let you talk me into this?!"

"You're the one that said it to Mom and Dad first, you little stinker!" Anna retorted. She noticed Elsa's genuinely upset expression and quickly hugged her close. "Elsa, I don't know what most people do after they get engaged, but I shan't be abandoning you one bit. You'll always be the first person in line that I want to spend time with. I'm not going to go spend all day long with Kristoff every day and leave you behind. I promise."

"And don't do…embarrassing things with him, either," Elsa said firmly, biting a fingernail nervously. "It's, um, not safe and, well…yeah…Moving on…" _I don't even know much of anything about such things…just that I definitely can't have my little sister doing that!_

Both girls' cheeks turned bright red. "Of course not!" Anna replied immediately. "Elsa, you are so _embarrassing_! I'm not getting married today! Why are we even talking about this?!"

"Because I don't want my little sister getting hurt." Elsa looked down at the floor as she added, "Anna, I know very, very little about that sort of thing. Next to nothing. You need to talk to Mom or Gerda. All I know is you are not even coming _close_ to doing that until years and years from now. You don't want babies you aren't ready for yet." Elsa knew sort of where babies came from, but beyond that, she was lost. She remembered being about seven and asking her mother where babies came from; and had no solid knowledge beyond that. Her mother had given her a very vague but truthful explanation and wouldn't talk about it again. Little Elsa had thought kissing made babies before that.

"Uh…let's just change the topic, 'kay? I promise there won't be any babies, Elsa. There will never even be any risk of a baby 'til way later. And then I'll tell you," Anna said in her most serious voice. "Good grief, you sure do jump to crazy conclusions sometimes! We're just having a formal engagement announcement today. Nothing's going to change here at home. Elsa, will you pin up my hair? Pretty please? I want it like I had it at your coronation."

Elsa smiled and shook her head. "I'll try, but you know my right hand is still practically useless…I guess just hand me the pins one at a time, all right?" Elsa's arm didn't hurt or ache at all anymore, but she still had to have the splint on it for one more week. She was rather excited to be rid of that thing. "Sometimes I wish I had hair like yours," Elsa said now. "It's so pretty, and yet it doesn't immediately label you as…weird and make you stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd."

Anna scowled. "Shut up and quit picking on yourself. I like your hair. I wish _mine_ looked like _yours_." Anna thought her sister's thick platinum hair was beautiful. It made Elsa look dramatic and exotic in Anna's honest opinion; and it certainly fit Elsa's identity as the Snow Queen.

"You'd probably have ice powers if you did," Elsa replied as she clumsily held Anna's bun in place with her right hand. _Why would Anna want hair like mine?!_ "Okay, ready for a pin now. Finally."

"So? I like your powers too. I wouldn't mind that one bit. Actually, I think I'd like to have powers like yours. We could build things together and compare 'em. Like your epic awesome ice palace."

Elsa didn't reply as she carefully fixed her sister's hair. _Anna is just so nonchalant. I genuinely don't want to get rid of my powers anymore-they're part of me-but I sure wouldn't wish that on Anna. They caused all kinds of trouble for me; I still have to be careful every minute. No, I definitely wouldn't wish my powers on Anna. She doesn't need a burden like that, even if it is something good most of the time. I love my ice palace; I love my ice-dresses; I love playing with them with Anna; but I don't love the trouble they can cause._

"Elsa? Are you all right?" Anna asked.

"I'm fine. And I think your hair is all done," Elsa said in a slightly flat voice.

Anna hopped up and hugged her sister tightly. "Thanks, sis. And I'm sorry I talked all nonchalant like that. I know your powers are a sensitive spot for you. But I _do_ think I'd like to have powers like yours. I think it'd give me a chance to be in your shoes and understand you better for one thing."

Elsa shook her head. _Why would Anna want to be in my shoes? She must be crazy…_ "I would never, ever wish you to be in my shoes. Present me would be okay, I think; but I'd _never_ want you to be in, say, eighteen-year-old me's shoes. That girl was a pathetic creature…just…ew, no, definitely not!" Elsa shuddered a bit in her sister's arms and scrunched her eyes shut. _Eighteen-year-old you tried to kill herself, Elsa. You were suicidal!_ "Well, I'm certainly not now!" she said aloud. "So shut up!"

Anna plopped down on the floor and leaned against the dresser, holding her sister close. "You're certainly not now what?" she asked quietly.

"Suicidal," Elsa muttered. "Younger me sure is depressing to think about…" _My reasons for attempting that weren't even valid mostly! Mom and Dad weren't dead. They're alive and safe for goodness sakes…_

"Oh," was all Anna said, but she hugged Elsa even tighter, not wanting to let go. _Poor Elsa…I wish I'd been able to help her so much sooner. Before she ever got nearly upset enough to try that._ Anna gently ran her finger over the faint pink scar on her sister's left wrist. "It wasn't your fault," Anna said finally. "Not one bit."

Elsa frowned and jerked her hand away from Anna. She still hated bringing attention to that permanent mark on her of what she had done, even if it _was_ almost invisible. "Leave it alone," she almost spat out. Then in a much friendlier tone, "Please." _I wouldn't care a bit if that wasn't how I'd gotten it. If I'd, oh, I don't know…fallen on a piece of glass by accident or something, I wouldn't be bothered at all…_

"I won't touch it again," Anna promised.

"Thank you," Elsa replied softly. "I'm sorry I snapped at you…I wouldn't care if it had happened some other way; but it still…embarrasses me because of what I did…I don't like bringing attention to it. I'm sorry."

"Oh Elsa, don't apologize! I wouldn't like bringing attention to it either if I were you. I wasn't thinking. _I'm_ sorry," Anna apologized.

"Y'know, we _could_ just talk about something else," Elsa said, smiling at her sister.

"Deal!"

* * *

Kiara was just heading into her little hideout spot in the alley next to the chocolate shop when she realized there was a man sitting right on _her_ blanket-bed. She'd bought it herself with money she had found in an envelope in that dress Elsa had given her. Elsa had addressed the envelope to her and wrote a note saying it was a gift, not charity, and that she may as well keep it because Elsa wouldn't take it back. Kiara marched right up to the man and glared down at him. "Get your fat butt out of my place," she ordered. "That's my blanket, so beat it!"

The man looked up at her and smirked. "What's a little girl like you going to do to her brother?"

Kiara just huffed. "You're no brother of mine. I'm on my own. Beat it. I'll fight you for the alley, and I'll win, too. So get out while you have the chance."

"I call your bluff."

Before Kiara knew what was happening, she'd been grabbed and tossed on the ground. Unfazed, she jumped up and darted over to her blanket. "Possession is nine tenths of the law. Look who's got the spot now. Get out of here. I have no interest in talking to you!"

The man's green eyes were an exact match for Kiara's. Kiara narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're who I think you are, you'd better beat it or I'll shock you. I'll tase you and you can lie on the ground until the Snow Queen can come freeze your stupid butt," she threatened.

"That ice girl won't freeze me," the man scoffed. "Come on, Kiara, I just want to talk to you. No need to become freak girl at the moment."

Kiara just held out her hand in response. "Beat it, brother dear. I don't need your ugly face here. You hated me before. I _will_ 'become freak girl' as you put it, and I won't be sorry, either."

"How are you going to explain electric shocks here? Arendelle doesn't have electricity."

"Snow Queen won't care. She has powers of her own. And as she's in charge, I don't much care what anyone else thinks. How's that? You have five seconds before I do something you won't like." Sparks danced between Kiara's hands, and she kept her eyes peeled just in case anyone else was watching her. _I don't want anyone else to see it…_

"I'll take you back to the Southern Isles and get our family back together again. And I won't call you freak girl anymore."

Kiara glared at her brother, but she dropped her hands to her sides. "Continue. I'd like to know why you'd do that now all of a sudden."

"All you have to do is help me with something."

Kiara lashed out and shoved her brother against the brick alley wall with all her strength. "I know how that works," she growled. "I go along with what someone says and then they don't follow through with their part of the deal. I'll stay here, thanks."

"You just have to help get that so-called Snow Queen off the throne. She's dangerous. Didn't you hear her parents are back? Why do you think they're not back on the throne?"

Kiara just frowned. _I heard rumors about that, but I've never seen Snow Queen Elsa's parents myself._ "She's been nice to me, you numskull. The Snow Queen isn't dangerous. I've never seen her parents, and even if they are back, why would she want to give up her place of authority anyhow? I sure wouldn't!"

"Look, do you want your family back or not?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Kiara retorted, stalling for time. Part of her _did_ want to get back in the family circle again, but she didn't really want to betray her new friend either. What if she was being lied to? Elsa was the first person that had been completely, genuinely nice to her in years. If she hurt her new friend and it turned out she was being lied to, she wouldn't have a friend _or_ a family. Maybe she could explain to Elsa what had happened after the fact. Kiara knew the older girl well enough that she was quite sure Elsa wouldn't hold a grudge. But still! "You could be lying to me."

"This says I'm not," Hans said, holding out a fat roll of money.

Kiara's hand shot out and grabbed it. She scoffed and threw it to the ground after a quick look. "Counterfeit. What do you think I am, an idiot?! I may be the youngest kid of the Southern Isles royal family, a girl, and a freak; but I'm not stupid. Shall I send word to our old man that Princess Kiara has discovered that Prince Hans carries counterfeit currency around?"

"You know full well you're no princess. That's not counterfeit. It's U.S. money, you little drip."

"Drip yourself! I don't care what you say; I am PRINCESS KIARA OF THE SOUTHERN ISLES, and nobody can take that title away from me! I hate you. It's half your fault I'm an electrified freak anyhow. So just stay away from me, huh?" Kiara didn't realize it, but she was subconsciously creating an invisible electrified force field around herself. "And U.S. money…what are you doing with United States money?! What did you go there for?!"

Hans bent to pick up the money, touched Kiara's force field, and was immediately flung to the ground, completely unconscious.

Kiara clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream. _What have I done?! I totally had the right to shock him, but not like that!_ Kiara knew she made force fields that shocked anyone that touched them when she grew too angry, but she'd forgotten in the heat of anger, as usual. She never, ever made mistakes unless she was angry. Now she felt disgusted with herself. "You dummy, what'd you touch my force field for?" she asked now, although she didn't sound nearly as disdainful and proud as she had before. Kiara spotted the wad of money and stuffed it in her pocket. She had made her decision. _I'll help, but I'm giving that money to Elsa. And a note that'll tip her off to what's going on. Then I get my family back and I won't hurt my friend either. So there. Hans can't blame me if Elsa just is mysteriously invincible all of a sudden._

Kiara stared her brother right in the face as he blinked up at her a minute later. "I will help," she said flatly. _And I won't betray Snow Queen Elsa, either._

* * *

Elsa stood in the main entrance hall to the castle wearing her cobalt blue ice-dress she'd made. "Anna, hurry up, please! Rapunzel's and Aunt Primrose's ship is due to arrive any minute now, and I want to meet them at the dock." Elsa had been disappointed that her uncle couldn't come too, but someone had to stay behind to take care of Corona.

Anna stuck out her tongue at her sister; then grabbed her hand and yanked her out the door. "C'mon, I want to meet them at the dock, too, you know!"

"I didn't say run!" Elsa exclaimed, but she was laughing.

Idun quickly caught both girls before they ran out the castle gates. "Anna, be gentle with your sister. I don't want you running and yanking her about until Elsa is completely healed, all right?"

Elsa blushed, but she gave her mother a hug. "I get the splint off in seven days, Mom. I'm fine. But thank you for…for caring and being concerned about me," she said quietly. Since that day three weeks ago when her mother had hugged her, Elsa had happily talked to her mother often, forming the mother/daughter relationship that Elsa had never really had in her life from Idun. Elsa actually felt like she had _two_ mothers now-her real mother and her surrogate mother Gerda who had always taken care of her through all those years of isolation in her room. Idun still didn't want to get close to Elsa when she was using her powers or if she made a mistake, but Elsa didn't care. Elsa knew her mother was certainly trying; she would be more than happy to watch Elsa use her powers from a distance, just not be anywhere near her. This was fine with Elsa.

Elsa's heartfelt thank-you made her mother feel guilty. _Elsa says something like that every time I treat her like I should have since she was little. It's like she can't believe that her own mother cares about her. Elsa's own parents hurt her terribly…Agdar and I_ never _loved and cared for her like we should have, even before that accident. Sure, Elsa never wanted for any material things, but she didn't have what she needed inside._ Idun hugged Elsa tightly. This was _her_ little girl, physical abnormalities and all, just plain _Elsa_ ; and she would never hurt her again. She still wished she had been able to 'fix' Elsa when she was little, before anything had ever happened. But Elsa's ice powers were a permanent part of her; and she would _not_ hurt her daughter inside again. _Elsa has accepted herself, so I will too._ "I am glad I had the chance to see you for your real self," Idun said now.

"I'm glad too. You…you make me happy…I know you still aren't comfortable with my powers, but you don't…hate me," Elsa whispered. _My mother cares about me. She doesn't dislike me…_

Idun gave Elsa one last squeeze and gave her a little push toward Anna. "Run along now and go meet your cousin," she said, smiling. "Your father and I will wait here."

"Okay." Elsa clasped her hand with Anna's as the two girls speed-walked out the gate. "Bye for a few minutes, Mom!" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

Now standing on the dock next to her sister, Elsa felt both excited and a bit nervous as she waited for her relatives to disembark off their ship. "D'you think Rapunzel will like me okay?" she whispered to Anna. "Will Aunt Primrose approve of me?"

"Elsa, you told me you talked to Rapunzel a bit at your coronation and she liked you perfectly fine then. And I'm sure Aunt Primrose will like you fine too," Anna whispered back. "There they are!" she shouted now.

Elsa hung back as Anna ran towards their cousin and aunt. _Okay, Elsa, what's your deal now? You're fine. You know Anna is right._ With that thought, she went closer, but still stood just a bit behind Anna. Then she thought that might make a bad impression and moved up right next to her sister. Elsa smiled when she saw Rapunzel clearly wanting to run toward them, but speed-walking instead. _That's just like Anna, and sometimes me…_

"HelloQueenElsaandPrincessAnna. Itisapleasuretoseeyouatthistime," Rapunzel said all in a rush.

Elsa knew that must have been something her cousin had been told to say. "It is a pleasure to see you at this time too, Princess Rapunzel," she replied with a smile, playing along with the formal greetings. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper to say, "You can drop the formality. I won't mind in the least."

Anna didn't even bother. "Good grief, let's not do all the boring title stuff. Hi, Rapunzel! I'm glad you're here. Would you like to see Elsa's and my rooms or something?"

"Absolutely!" Rapunzel said happily. She frowned, noticing Elsa's splinted arm. "Elsa, what happened to you? Are you all right?"

"I broke it awhile ago. It's almost better now, though, so…no big deal," Elsa replied with a smile. "Hello, Aunt Primrose," she called.

Rapunzel scowled. "I wish I still had my magic, 'cause then I'd heal it for you, Elsa. I know you said it's almost better, but still."

Elsa sent Anna a look that said _I told you so_. She had told Anna weeks ago that their cousin did not have her magic anymore and that therefore Anna was forbidden to ask Rapunzel to fix Elsa's arm. "It doesn't matter, Rapunzel," Elsa assured her. "Really. I'm perfectly fine."

"I've heard so much about you and your sister," Aunt Primrose said to Elsa. "Queen Elsa, you are the spitten image of your mother, aside from your hair. Same blue eyes, same face." She held out her arms to give Elsa a hug, but didn't actually do so. "Only if you're comfortable with hugs. No pressure," she added.

Elsa beamed and practically threw herself into her aunt's arms. "I love hugs now," she said softly. "Aunt Primrose, do I _really_ look like my mother? I always thought I looked…different…not part of the family at all…" _I look like my mother? I didn't think I looked anything like anyone_ anywhere. _I mean…I think I look somewhat okay in general, but I'm so pale and no one has hair the same color as mine…_ She looked down in shame at her own words, wondering why she had said that in the first place. Elsa's blue eyes were bright with tears as Aunt Primrose put one hand under Elsa's chin.

"You can stop thinking that right now, Elsa. I don't know where you got that idea from, but it's definitely not true. You look just as much 'part of the family' as your sister does," Aunt Primrose said firmly. "If I look at you, Anna, and Rapunzel side by side, you look alike enough to _all_ be sisters, for goodness sakes."

Elsa smiled a bit at that. _Aunt Primrose is as nice as Mom. I wonder if we could get a portrait of Rapunzel, Anna, and me together. That would be really nice…_ "Thank you," she said finally. "Shall we all head back to the castle? I'm sure Anna would be only too happy to give you a tour."

"Yes, Anna would definitely be only too happy to give a castle tour!" Anna exclaimed happily. She grabbed both Elsa and Rapunzel by the hands and took off toward the castle.

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	11. Icy Volcano

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **CieloFede-Lol, that was one of my 'big reveals' plot-wise.;) The only hints I gave were 1) Kiara wasn't from Arendelle; 2) she implies that she has a family that has plenty of money but is on her own; and 3) she slips up in chapter 4 and tells Elsa 'Your castle is bigger'n...' (y'know, because the castle in the Southern Isles is smaller, haha). Other than that, I didn't really drop any big hints.:) How could anyone have told Elsa that she looks like her mother when she's spent most of her life locked in her room?:/ And I bet Elsa probably would think that she doesn't look like anyone else since she's not exactly the best at self-confidence and self-worth and whatnot. She just sees that she has lighter skin than anyone she's ever seen and that she has her unique platinum hair.:) (By the way, did you notice that Elsa does indeed have freckles on her cheeks? They're just not as obvious as Anna's.:))**

 **Dragonheart-Lol, I don't think Kiara's powers were probably that hard to guess, lol. Yay, thanks! I was afraid it would seem random, but I've been thinking for awhile that Hans probably does have _a_ sister. And in my story-verse, that's Kiara. Rapunzel won't be taking over the story, but she'll be hanging around for several chapters.:) Awesome, I got the song right! *yay* **

**FrozenFan16-I'm sorry; I'm not sure. I know which story you're talking about, but I can't remember the title.:P**

 **Guest Mandy-Yep, Kiara has electrical powers.;) (I wanted something different that has absolutely nothing to do with Elsa's powers. So no fire powers.;)) I'm glad you're reading Secret Passages! Please lemme know what your final thoughts are whenever you're finished with it.:) I think Elsa needs a great big hug for most of that story.:/ (And now you know why Elsa acts like she does around her parents in this story and why Anna gets mad at them easily.:P) Yep, that's the chapter after next, I believe.:) Hopefully it'll turn out okay! Primrose talks a bit about that in this chapter.:)**

 **Inkfinger2000-Lol, I do that all the time.;) No big deal!:) Thank you.:)**

 **On to the story!:) (And I am so bad at chapter titles...so...I apologize.:P Elsa's phrase, not mine. Somehow ice and volcano don't sound right together.:P)**

The second everyone had gathered in the castle courtyard, the three girls decided to leave the adults and retreat off by themselves. Per Anna's request, they headed out to the castle gardens to just talk, and if Anna had her way, climb trees or something. Anna pointed up at her favorite climbing tree. "Let's see how close we can get to the top! Besides, there's a nice fat branch a ways up there that's big enough for all three of us."

Rapunzel glanced at Elsa's arm and back up at the tree. "Um…I don't think Elsa can climb trees right now…" she said hesitantly.

Elsa just smiled. "I think I can as long as you two help me. I'll be fine." Elsa liked sitting high in a tree just as much as her sister did; she just wasn't as good at climbing trees as Anna was, still healing broken arm or no. _I probably shouldn't do this…oh, who cares? I want to play with my sister and cousin. I'll be fine._

"I'll climb first and Elsa can go in the middle with Rapunzel behind her," Anna decided. "That way we can both help Elsa if she slips, 'kay, Rapunzel?"

"Ask Elsa!" Rapunzel said, giggling. "It's kind of her decision, don't you think?"

"Perfectly fine with me," Elsa replied. "I'm ready."

* * *

Soon the three girls were happily sitting together on a fat tree branch high in the tree. "I know I shouldn't have climbed up here, but I'm still happy I did," Elsa said, smiling as she gazed out at the view of the fjord.

"You're different than when I saw you back in July, Elsa," Rapunzel commented. "You're lots more easygoing, confident, and happy now. I'd have said this if I had a chance then too…but…friends?"

Elsa gave Rapunzel a hug and nearly slipped off her perch on the branch. "I'm _awful_ at making friends-just ask Anna. I still don't really like socializing very much, though…" Elsa's voice trailed off for a minute as she thought what to say; then added just plain, "Thank you."

"Elsa's exaggerating. She's not awful at making friends," Anna said, keeping a close eye on her sister. She knew Elsa was fairly sure of herself up in a tree, but Elsa's splinted arm made her a bit clumsy. So Anna just stayed ready to catch her sister…just in case.

"Do you want to climb down and maybe get a bite to eat or something?" Elsa asked, directing her question at both of the other two girls. _I'm going to have trouble climbing down…wait a minute, I don't need to climb down!_ Elsa grinned. "I bet I can beat you both to the ground without needing any help," she announced confidently.

Both Rapunzel and Anna just stared at her in surprise. Then Anna just rolled her eyes, knowing what Elsa was going to do. "You stinker! That's fine, but just be careful, 'kay?"

Elsa just pushed herself off and away from the branch in response. She let out a squeal as she plummeted straight down for a second before catching herself with a cold air current from her left hand directed below her. "On your marks…get set…go!" she called. Elsa stayed right next to the other two girls, easily keeping herself levitating in the air with her air current. She nearly let herself fall when she heard a terrified shriek and an angry voice from below. _Oh, no…_ "Anna, Rapunzel…I think our game's over," she said. "I'll, um…see you on the ground." Elsa quickly lowered herself to the ground without another thought. Being 'caught' doing that wasn't exactly what Elsa had had in mind. "Hi everyone?" Elsa half-said, half-asked, her cheeks pink in embarrassment.

Idun quickly hugged Elsa close the second she was sure Elsa hadn't hurt herself. "What on earth were you thinking, sweetie?! I know you were doing…something, I don't know what, with your powers, but you had to have been a good thirty or thirty-five feet in the air. What if you'd fallen?"

"I think I was safer doing that than climbing down normally," Elsa replied, giving her mother a lopsided smile. "I'm okay." _Actually, I'm_ positive _I was safer doing that…_

" _Levitating_ now, Elsa? What if someone from the general public had seen you doing that?" Agdar asked.

Elsa held her chin high. "I wouldn't care," she said calmly. Elsa hadn't been able to gain much ground with her father in the last three weeks at all; he had told her he was pleased with the way she had handled Arendelle's government, but beyond that, Elsa still felt like everything she did was wrong in her father's eyes. With that knowledge now ingrained in her mind, assuming that's just what it was going to be permanently, Elsa tried her best to just do her own thing for the most part; but the constant disapproval still made her upset.

Primrose frowned; her sister Idun had written her about the constant tension between Elsa and her father, but it was different seeing it in person. Despite Elsa's words, it was obvious, at least to Primrose, that the girl was hurting inside. Between Elsa's present attitude and her words on the dock, Primrose was suddenly certain that this was not something that had started in the few weeks since Elsa's parents had returned. _Idun told me part of what has happened in the past with Elsa, but she didn't say she and Agdar outright abused her. Elsa isn't acting quite right…_ "Agdar, it isn't my place to intrude, but you're hurting your daughter. She may be acting like she doesn't care, but she does. Perhaps she might like a hug or something from her father?"

Elsa looked hopefully at her father, who seemed to hesitate for a moment before refusing, saying that Elsa needed to behave properly first. Elsa wasn't surprised, but the statement still hurt. "Tell Anna and Rapunzel I went inside, please," she said quietly. Elsa just walked away; then sped up to a run the second she was out of sight. _'I'll not do any such thing. She needs to behave properly first.'_ Then the last part, _'You don't deserve that until you fix yourself.'_ The awful words burned in Elsa's mind. Elsa managed to hold her tears in until she made it just inside the castle. Then she couldn't keep herself from crying any longer and just ran as fast as she could to the parlor and shut herself in. That was the closest room she could get to that she could shut herself into. Elsa collapsed into a chair and just cried. "Papa… _why_?" she wailed. "I _can't_ 'fix m-myself'! I can't! I…I'm…I'm sorry, but…I just can't…"

Elsa felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and then heard a familiar voice saying she was going to pick Elsa up. _I didn't want anyone seeing me like this…not even Gerda…I guess it doesn't matter…_ Elsa didn't react as Gerda picked her up and then sat down holding Elsa on her lap. She just hid her face in her surrogate mother's shoulder and tried her best to stop crying.

Gerda always felt slightly awkward when she helped Elsa…Elsa wasn't just an upset young girl; she was also the queen, and while Elsa treated her as an equal-looked up to her, in fact-there was still the fact that Gerda was a castle servant and Elsa was the monarch of Arendelle. But she would _always_ help Elsa unless Elsa expressly said not to one day, which she knew was highly unlikely. "Miss Elsa, I don't know what happened, but don't apologize for being unable to 'fix yourself'. That's nonsense and you know it," Gerda said now. She gently pulled Elsa away from her shoulder to dab her tears.

"He s-said I…didn't deserve a hug 'til I…fixed myself," Elsa whispered. _That's actually impossible anyway, even if I wanted to…_

Gerda noticed traces of Elsa's old stuttering issue creeping into her voice and just held Elsa securely. Elsa never did that anymore. Gerda actually felt angry now. There was only one 'he' that Elsa could have been referring to. "Your father told you that right to your face?" she asked quietly.

Elsa nodded as she tried to stop gasping her breaths instead of breathing normally. Usually Elsa hated saying even one word about her feelings, but now she couldn't stop her words from tumbling out. "It _hurt_ …it made me angry and sad and upset, and I know I c-can't do any such thing anyway, and I don't really want to, and it made me feel…defective again…even though I know I'm not…" _Why did I say all that, even if it is true? I hate talking about my feelings._

"Miss Elsa, I know it isn't my place to say this, but what your father said was cruel and it's not true. I have no idea what he was thinking when he said that, but it's ridiculous. I know it hurts, but try not to let it get to you. You can't control what he thinks no matter what you do. Just keep that in mind."

Elsa nodded again, not knowing what to do. _Maybe Dad just wasn't thinking. That's possible. Or maybe he just hates my powers, and not the rest of me?_ She knew deep inside that there was nothing wrong with her; it was just that she wanted her father to accept her _so much_ and her wish had been permanently shot down as far as she could see. "It's…it's not like my arm or something, where it will be fixed after a while," she said softly, holding up her splinted arm. "I'm permanently broken to Dad, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Gerda frowned at her. "There's one difference, Miss Elsa. Your broken arm is _supposed_ to heal and be 'fixed'. You yourself are not broken. That's like putting a splint on your good arm and saying it's going to be 'fixed' after a while. Don't you see that that's completely pointless?"

Elsa smiled a bit at the ludicrousness of that idea. "Definitely completely pointless! I know I'm not broken-at least I don't think so; it's just hearing that…hurt, I suppose. Thank you, Gerda. You shouldn't have to deal with me getting like that," she said ruefully. _Well, I did not freak out or anything. I just got upset. That's normal. I know it is. There's nothing wrong with me. So there. I'm going to go find Anna and Rapunzel._

* * *

BACK OUTSIDE…

The second Elsa had left, Idun turned on Agdar. "What were you _thinking_?! How could you say that to her?! Elsa does have feelings, you know!"

"She didn't seem upset just now," Agdar said.

Anna, now having reached the ground with Rapunzel, just asked, "Elsa didn't seem upset just now about what? Where is she?"

Primrose just guided both girls off to the side. "Both of you go find Elsa. She said she went back to the castle," she said quietly. "Give her a hug the second you find her."

Anna and Rapunzel took off toward the castle, leaving the three adults behind.

"She 'didn't seem upset just now' because she was concealing her feelings!" Idun nearly shouted. "If you didn't want to give the poor girl a hug, then fine! But you don't tell her she doesn't deserve one until she fixes herself! Agdar, Elsa _can't_. Do you understand? She _can't._ She can't 'fix' something that's physically part of her. Elsa's powers are permanent. That's just the way she is. We _have_ to try to accept her exactly as she is. Please don't say anything like that to her again."

"Agdar, if you'll pardon your wife's sister meddling here, I'd like to say something as well," Primrose said. "The little bit I've seen of Elsa in person tells me there _is_ something wrong with her-emotionally. Perhaps not 'wrong' per se, but she seems to have emotional scars inside. Rapunzel told me all about Elsa when she arrived home from that coronation fiasco. Elsa seems far better now to me, at least by following Rapunzel's description, but she's still just a sensitive young girl. You shouldn't treat her like a machine. That ability of hers to hide her emotions like that doesn't mean she doesn't have any. A girl like Elsa shouldn't be so skilled at concealing her feelings in the first place."

"Why on earth would Elsa have emotional scars inside?! She was always perfectly fine before," Agdar replied, sounding genuinely puzzled.

Primrose just sighed. "She hides her emotions. She probably genuinely _seemed_ perfectly fine when, in fact, she was hurting inside. Rapunzel told me Elsa stuttered when she spoke when she, Elsa, and Anna were talking together right after what they call the Great Thaw. Do you honestly think that is ok?"

Idun frowned. "I do remember a few weeks ago, we were all about to play chess together, and Elsa started stammering for a moment before pulling together what she wanted to say. Anna did say 'Elsa never does that anymore' or something…you're telling me she used to do that all the time?!"

"I'd ask Elsa to be sure, but that's what it sounded like from what Rapunzel told me. Idun, please love and take care of Elsa. She's such a sweet girl, and she needs her parents, even if she is twenty-one. Elsa thought she didn't even look like part of the family...I told her she looked exactly like you aside from her hair, and she started questioning if that was really true. She may be happy now, but whatever has happened to her in the past is still haunting her, at least sometimes."

Idun frowned. "I _do_ love Elsa! She's my little girl...Primrose, Agdar and I hurt her terribly for practically her entire life. How can that be erased?! It can't! I keep picturing a younger Elsa locked in her room, just wishing someone really truly cared about her and accepted her for _her_. How much time must she have spent staring out her window in tears feeling terrified that she couldn't control something she didn't even ask to have? I still don't feel completely at ease with Elsa's special abilities, but that was no excuse for abusing her like that. Elsa never complained or made a fuss. When she asked for things, I know now she never even expected to get them. I remember the Christmas Elsa was nine, all she wanted was a tree in her room. She didn't even ask to leave her room to see the tree in the library; she just wanted a little one in her room. And...and Agdar and I wouldn't let her have one..."

"Idun, that was over a decade ago," Primrose said slowly. "Elsa might not even remember that now..."

"Oh yes she does. I know she does. Elsa has a practically photographic memory. She remembers. The worst part is that I know she doesn't hold a grudge for that or anything else we did to her. We don't deserve to have a daughter like that...she's just...just..." Idun turned to her husband, tears pricking at her eyes. "And you told Elsa she didn't deserve a hug until she fixed herself just now! I wish Elsa didn't have her special abilities too, but we can't hurt her any more than we already have!"

"I think we are all overreacting...Elsa seems to be fine," Agdar said. "Perhaps we were a bit too hard on her, but she still has potentially dangerous abilities..."

Primrose sighed. "That's a start, I suppose..."

"Agdar, you are _not_ going to say horrible things like that to Elsa again. I won't have it. I don't care if you didn't mean anything by it; you hurt her," Idun said firmly.

* * *

Inside the castle, Anna and Rapunzel had easily found Elsa, who had been in the main entrance hall about to head back outside. Elsa yelped in surprise when the other two girls nearly bowled her over and hugged her tightly. "What's going on?!" she asked, feeling confused.

"Aunt Primrose said we were s'posed to hug you the second we found you!" Anna announced. "We're just doing what we're supposed to be doing and besides I like giving my big sister hugs anyway." Anna's expression grew serious as she added, "Elsa, what did Dad tell you that made you upset? I know _something_ happened…"

Elsa dropped her gaze to the floor. "I don't want to repeat it." _You don't deserve that until you fix yourself. You don't deserve that until you fix yourself…I CAN'T! Dad…why?! I don't need fixing, and even if I did, I physically can't do anything about it._ Elsa closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to just forget about it.

Rapunzel pulled Anna off to the side and began talking quickly. "Anna, you gotta get Elsa away from your dad. He's hurting her. She's acting like she did right after the Great Thaw when I saw her, and that's not good. Elsa can't deal with her own father hurting her again. I don't know how I know, but I just do. You're the only one that can help her."

Anna took one look at her sister and knew Rapunzel was right. "You'll have to help me," she whispered. Anna gave her cousin a small smile when she nodded and then ran back to Elsa. "Elsa, just listen, all right? I love you. I care about you. Rapunzel cares about you too. She's your friend, remember?" Anna hugged her sister close, frowning when Elsa struggled to keep from trembling in her arms.

Elsa tried her best to just _stop_ being upset like that. She was angry with herself for being unable to stop; she was angry with her father for causing her to get like this in the first place; and that one horrid sentence made her terribly upset and she couldn't seem to dump it and just forget about it, even though she _knew_ it wasn't true. "I'm sorry," she whispered finally. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Why are you two even trying to help me?! This is just because I'm _stupid,_ so _stupid,_ and I can't stop thinking about a sentence that isn't even true!" Elsa sounded nearly hysterical. All she wanted was to _calm down_ at the moment, but she felt out of control. The only good thing was that the only icy manifestation of Elsa's feelings was a thin layer of ice spreading on the floor.

Anna carefully sat down on the slippery floor, holding her sister tightly. "Elsa, you're stronger than this now," she said quietly. "You don't let people's comments or insults bother you now. What's the matter? What did Dad tell you?"

Rapunzel shook her head, saying not to ask Elsa that question, not yet, but she was too late. Elsa abruptly jumped to her feet, tears still streaking her cheeks; but her blue eyes were flashing. She felt absolutely furious at the moment. "'You don't deserve that until you fix yourself!'" she nearly screamed. "That's what's wrong! It's not _fair_!" Elsa threw the castle door open and marched outside, not knowing what she was going to tell her father when she found him, but she was _not_ going to put up with hearing that any longer. Ever.

Rapunzel and Anna sat staring at each other in confusion for a moment before chasing after Elsa. "We gotta catch Elsa before she finds Dad," Anna said. "Him seeing her all mad like that is definitely not going to help…even if I'm secretly pleased Elsa has a bit of fire in her at the moment."

Rapunzel stopped short and didn't say anything for a second. "Anna…I think I know what he told her. My mom told us to hug Elsa right when we found her. Uncle Agdar told her she didn't deserve hugs until she fixed herself…"

Anna's eyes went wide, and she balled her hands into fists at her sides. "I hope Elsa tells him off good!" she exclaimed.

"No, you don't want her to do that! It'll make everything worse!"

"I don't care! I want Elsa to stand up for herself for once!"

"Not like that you don't! Elsa is out of control right now-she doesn't know what she's saying," Rapunzel countered. "Trust me, we have to catch Elsa first!"

* * *

Elsa found her parents right in the castle courtyard. An icy path trailed behind her, but Elsa couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. She marched right up to her father and stared him straight in the face. "Don't you ever, _ever_ tell me that again!" she shouted. "I don't know where you got all your ideas from, but I am _not_ messed up! I don't need fixing! Because _I'm not broken_! Why do you hate me?! What did I do wrong? I'm _sick_ of being labeled the messed up and defective one just because there's no one like me _anywhere_! It's not fair!" Elsa paused a moment to catch her breath before adding, "And quit staring at me like I'm some kind of…of monster!"

None of the three adults were ready to attempt trying to calm Elsa down. Elsa was livid, and the ice spreading around her proved it. "Look around you, Elsa," Agdar said finally. "You are completely out of control right now. This is why this needs to be fixed."

Elsa looked from her father to the ice and back again. "I don't care. I will _not_ put up with this anymore. I'm just not. It isn't fair!" _Shut up, Elsa! What on earth are you doing?! Yelling isn't going to fix anything._

 _I've already lost control. What difference does it make?_

Anna saw her sister about to trip on one of her own icicles sticking out of the ground and just shouted Elsa's name. "Elsa! Watch where you're go-"

Too late. Elsa fell, and Anna ran and knelt beside her, not caring about all the ice around her. "Elsa?" Without waiting for an answer, Anna just scooped up her sister and stumbled to her feet. "You pushed Elsa too far," she said flatly. "You pushed her past her breaking point." Anna held Elsa tightly and just abruptly turned and headed back inside.

Rapunzel resisted the urge to say 'I told you so'. She followed her cousin inside without a word.

* * *

Elsa blinked in confusion seconds later. _What happened? Oh yeah…I yelled at Dad. I have to apologize! Why is Anna holding me?_ Elsa's forehead stung, and she put her good hand to her forehead, cooling down whatever was making it hurt. Cold wouldn't numb anything for Elsa, but it felt pleasantly cool to her, and that helped a little bit. "Anna, where are you taking me?" Elsa asked now.

"You need to rest for awhile. And calm down," Anna said quietly. "Also you cut your forehead a bit when you fell."

 _Oh. That's why it stings._ Elsa didn't say anything more as Anna laid her down on her bed. She just wanted to get out of here. She wanted to just _go_ somewhere. Anywhere but here. And she had to be at that stupid engagement announcement thing later. Of course. What else was new? Elsa scowled when her sister insisted on holding a wet cloth against her forehead. "Anna, I'm fine. It's probably just a scratch and not worth fussing over," she said a bit peevishly.

"You had your hand against it, so it must have hurt, Elsa," Anna replied calmly. "You're right, it _is_ just a scratch, but I thought it might make you feel better. 'Kay?"

"I'd rather have a hug," Elsa whispered almost inaudibly. She felt tears pricking at her eyes and forced herself to blink them away. She would _not_ cry again. Not because of that awful sentence. _I won't. I just won't. So there. Anna cares about me. She doesn't think I don't deserve hugs until I 'fix myself'. And there's nothing wrong with me!_

Anna figuratively froze for a moment before picking Elsa up and letting her sit on her lap as she hugged Elsa close. "You can have both," Anna said firmly. Anna's own eyes filled with tears as she slowly rocked Elsa back and forth. _Why did Dad tell her that?! Elsa exploded in anger like that because she couldn't deal with letting herself break down again. It had to be one or the other for her._

"I'm going to go talk to the grown-ups," Rapunzel said as she tiptoed out of the room. _Elsa needs her little sister, not me. I'll talk to her later._

Anna nodded and mouthed 'good luck' before going back to concentrate on her sister again. "I love you, Elsa," she whispered. "I'm so sorry you had to hear Dad say that. But it's _not_ true. It's just not. You _know_ it's not. You deserve more hugs than anyone could ever give you. And I mean it."

Elsa let herself go limp in her sister's arms, but she still refused to cry. She would not cry over something she couldn't change. Besides, her little sister loved her. Anna cared about her. Anna didn't think she was messed up or defective. Anna didn't tell her she needed fixing. _I wish I hadn't exploded at Dad. I lost control. I looked…dangerous. I did look like a monster by yelling like that. Exactly the picture I was trying to change._ Elsa buried her face in Anna's shoulder and finally let her tears fall. Not because of that awful sentence. Because _she_ was the problem that was messing up her family and she couldn't do anything about it. And Elsa thought she had probably ruined her relationship with her mother by exploding and losing control like that. _Mom is probably more scared of me than ever…_ "Anna…how much of a mess did I make in the courtyard?" Elsa asked.

"Um…you kind of had ice trailing behind you and you made icicles on the ground when you got mad…" Anna's voice trailed off, unsure of what Elsa's response would be. "But you can just get rid of it when you go outside. No big deal."

Elsa bit her lip when she heard a knock on her door. _Go away, whoever you are. I just want to be by myself with Anna right now…_ She hesitantly looked up at the now-open doorway. _It's Mom…_ "Will you tell Dad I said I'm sorry for exploding at him? Please?"

Idun didn't come any closer, but she smiled at Elsa and nodded. _Elsa exploded like that because of what Agdar said to her. She's not going to do that again as long as no one is being so uncaring and cruel to her. I know she won't._ "Are you all right?" Idun thought her daughter's actions had, quite honestly, been completely justified; but she still felt wary being close to Elsa after seeing her explode like that.

"I think so. I promise I won't turn into an icy volcano again," Elsa replied softly. _I think I got all the anger out of me. I need to be especially pleasant and agreeable now. Maybe that will help._

Anna gently pushed Elsa away and ran over to their mother. "Mom, you gotta help me keep Dad away from Elsa. He's hurting her. That's why she exploded like that. Elsa can't put up with that forever. I know Elsa is strong, but she's still sensitive."

Elsa stayed sitting on her bed, looking down at her sparkling cobalt blue skirt as she fiddled with the end of her braid. _Anna, you're embarrassing me…just be quiet. What if Mom doesn't want to hear anything about this at all?_

"Elsa, did you used to have trouble with stuttering before?" Idun asked now, remembering what Primrose had told her. _Say no, Elsa. Please say no._

Elsa abruptly jerked her gaze up at her mother and gave one slow nod, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Anna and Gerda helped me fix it," she whispered. "I'm okay, Mom. Really." _Well, at least Mom doesn't hate me._

Idun said nothing for a moment; then said, "Thank you for telling me, Elsa. I'll be right back."

* * *

Anna went back over to her sister and took her by the hand. "Don't worry, Elsa. Mom's not mad at you-I can tell. Actually I think she's mad at Dad…"

Elsa just sighed. "Terrific. Just terrific. Not. And I really did _not_ want to tell Mom about that…I just couldn't lie…it's wrong and I bet she'd eventually find out anyway…Anna, _what_ am I supposed to do? I really messed up outside; there's still the weird issue with the abdication thing and where Mom and Dad have been…" _I've made a terrible muddle of everything. And I have to figure out exactly what to do, too. I am not abdicating, ever; but that doesn't fix the problem that I am sure derives from Weselton…_ Elsa suddenly noticed something on her desk that hadn't been there when she'd woken up that morning. "What is this?!"

A roll of U.S. bills with a short note wrapped around it.

 _'Snow Queen, watch your back. You're in danger. Please be careful. –K.'_

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	12. Engagement

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **CieloFede-True. I guess it just seemed like something that Elsa would probably just think even if she _has_ been told that when she was little. Lol, I'll give Kiara more actual backstory eventually.:) I just want to keep it clear that she isn't as much of a MC as Elsa and Anna. Elsa's freckles make her look younger (at least that's what my sister and I think:)) Good grief, I think Elsa had the right to yell at Agdar ages ago.:/ And yes, I agree. Lol, I suppose "my" Elsa just has a funny way with words, I don't know.:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol, I can understand that.;) I'm not in a reviewing-type mood all the time myself.:)**

 **Awesomewolf-I'm glad you liked it!:) I don't like Agdar either.:P Well, Elsa can't really play the piano right now because her arm is hurt, but I promise she'll play something eventually. How's that?:)**

 **WarriorQueen14-Thanks for the review!:) I PM'ed you and stuff, so I won't make you reread the exact same thing here too, lol.:P**

 **Frozen789-Thank you!:)**

 **Guest Mandy-Yay, you read all of Secret Passages!:) I love Elsa's character, and I was just trying to...to tell the rest of her story that we don't see in the movie, I suppose. Elsa is a complicated character...I mean, she's strong as steel in some ways, but she's also sensitive and gets hurt easily. I wish Elsa was a real person because I'd love to just talk to her. I think Elsa would be a very good friend if she were a real girl.:) Yikes, I'm starting to go off on a tangent here...:P Agdar genuinely doesn't understand entirely that he's still hurting Elsa though, so that's part of why he's such a creep to her. And thank you! I love writing Frozen stories.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

At the party announcing her sister's engagement that evening, Elsa couldn't stop running the words of that note through her head. What did it mean? And why would Kiara have left her such a thing? Elsa was positive that was who the note was from-Kiara liked calling her 'Snow Queen' and she was the most obvious person that would have left a cryptic note like that that mysteriously appeared in Elsa's room. But where on earth had Kiara acquired U.S. money? And there was so much of it! While Elsa had very little experience with U.S. money-she'd seen it for the first time this past summer-she thought she had counted five thousand dollars in that roll of bills. _Kiara told me she had no money, at least by skirting the question. And I usually know when people are lying, so I'm pretty sure she was telling the truth. So where did she get so much United States money all of a sudden?!_ Elsa's instincts told her that it was a warning somehow, but she wasn't sure what. The note was obviously a warning, but why did Kiara leave all that money then? Surely she could have left Arendelle and used it herself in the U.S.

Elsa was still mulling it over when Anna pulled her out on the terrace. "When are you gonna make the announcement?" Anna asked excitedly. "Oh yeah, and Kristoff wanted to tell you something funny."

"Anna _requested_ I tell you that the same day you…fudged that Anna and I were engaged, I asked Anna too. But I also told her that she had to ask you first," Kristoff made extra sure to tell Elsa the last part. He knew that Elsa had only agreed to this whole thing because of some issue with keeping other suitors away from Anna.

Elsa smiled a bit. "Rather a large coincidence," was all she said. Elsa wasn't mad, but she was still a bit worried about anyone being seriously romantically involved with her little sister. Elsa shifted her weight from one foot to the other for a moment; then added, "Don't hurt my sister."

Kristoff looked Elsa straight in the eyes. "I promise I will not hurt Princess Anna," he said quietly.

Although the cool night air didn't affect Elsa in the least, Anna shivered. Now that it was the end of September, the days were still warm, but the temperature dropped at night. "Well, I know Miss The-Cold-Never-Bothered-Me-Anyway isn't cold, but I'm a bit chilly. Can we go inside and you pretty please do the announcement thingie?" Anna asked.

Elsa sighed and stepped back inside, making her way over to the throne dais. _I don't want to do this. I know it's the best thing for everyone though. I don't want to deal with the politics of suitors for Anna. It's bad enough with my parents simply asking about it._ Elsa stepped onto the dais and didn't look at either her own parents on the right side or Rapunzel and her mother on the left. "I, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, should like to announce the engagement of Princess Anna of Arendelle to Mr. Kristoff Bjorgman, Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer." Elsa suddenly realized that that title sounded silly to her ears, but too late now. And since she had purposely invited any citizen of Arendelle that wished to come, plus dignitaries and other important officials from other countries, most of the guests didn't seem to care. Most people in Arendelle had seen the princess and Kristoff together many times, so this was no surprise.

Anna practically dragged a reluctant Kristoff onto the dais, and Elsa resisted the urge to frown when she saw Olaf waddling along behind them. Olaf did _not_ belong on the dais. Elsa loved her little snowman, but Olaf caused trouble. He would probably say something embarrassing and then she or Anna would have to explain why certain things just weren't said in public.

Elsa glanced toward her parents, silently asking if they wanted to say anything with her eyes. _And you better not mess everything up,_ she couldn't help thinking. Elsa knew neither of her parents were very pleased with her sister's choice of significant other, but Elsa had been explicitly promised that her parents wouldn't interfere in public. She knew that was most likely because it wouldn't bode well to the citizens of Arendelle that the royal family wasn't getting along well and her parents didn't want that either, but still…any promise was better than none. Elsa smiled a bit and nodded when both of her parents shook their heads no. _Okay, thank you._

"Yay, an engagement!" Olaf announced loudly. Then, looking puzzled, "What's an engagement?"

Elsa's cheeks turned pink, but she quickly salvaged the interruption. "I suppose we all need a sense of humor sometimes," she said to everyone. She quickly knelt down next to Olaf and whispered, "I'll explain later, all right? Or ask Anna later."

"All right," Olaf replied in a loud stage whisper. "Ask you or Anna what an engagement is later."

Anna thought the whole thing was funny. "Kristoff, Olaf is turning this into a comedy act," she whispered.

"Your sister doesn't think it's funny," Kristoff whispered back. "Just go ahead with what we're supposed to be doing and let Elsa take care of Olaf."

Elsa stood up just in time to see her sister kissing Kristoff. _I know he's not going to hurt Anna, but I still don't like this._ She was just debating whether or not to say something when Olaf tugged on her skirt. "What is it, Olaf?" she whispered.

"Can I have a snow girlfriend?"

Anna broke off her kiss and nearly snorted with laughter. There stood Elsa, her face bright red with embarrassment. And there was Olaf looking up at her hopefully, completely oblivious to Elsa's obvious discomfort. Well, Olaf knew Elsa was embarrassed, but he didn't understand why. What was wrong with a simple question?

"If you'll excuse somebody meddling," Rapunzel said now. She ran up, picked up Olaf, and quickly edged off the throne dais. _Elsa can handle things now. Good grief! Awkward question! Even if Elsa wanted to do that, no way would she do it in the middle of a party._

Elsa gave her cousin a grateful smile.

* * *

Hours later after the party had ended far into the evening, Elsa felt exhausted both because she was physically tired and because she was tired of socializing with all the guests. Although Elsa wasn't scared of hurting someone with her powers anymore, she still didn't like dealing with all the pleasantries she was expected to take part in as the queen. And being good-naturedly teased about when she was going to get engaged now that her little sister was engaged herself became very old after she'd heard the same thing a dozen times over. Quite honestly, Elsa wasn't exactly _opposed_ to the idea; she just plain didn't care, and even if she did, she wouldn't have anything to do with anyone anyway because she didn't trust anyone but herself and (sometimes) Anna with matters of state.

Elsa flopped down on her bed along with Anna and Rapunzel. The three girls had decided to have a sleepover together. Anna had wanted them all to go in her room, but since Anna's room was practically a black hole, they went to Elsa's spotless one. "If I had to hear one more person tease me about not being engaged or ask me about my stupid arm, I think I'd have exploded!" Elsa exclaimed, stifling a yawn.

Anna frowned. "Elsa…you're kidding, aren't you?" she asked. _Sometimes it's hard to tell whether Elsa is joking around or dead serious…I'm pretty sure she's kidding, though…_

Elsa sat up halfway and looked straight at her sister. "I'm kidding. I _was_ getting tired and annoyed, but not…like that. Promise," she said quietly. "You know it takes a lot more than that for me to completely lose it." _And I'm going to do my best to never get like that again, period._

"In that case, I get to laugh at you, sis," Anna teased. "'Cause I gotta say, you looked so funny when Olaf asked you if you'd make him a snow girlfriend!"

Elsa sprayed Anna with snowflakes and hit Rapunzel too in the process. "Hmm, got both of you!" she announced.

Anna and Rapunzel traded glances. "Get her!" Anna shouted.

Rapunzel realized Anna's meaning a second before Elsa did, which left Elsa firmly pinned in place trying to escape from Anna tickling her. "Anna, get offa me!" Elsa squealed. "Quit tickling me!"

Anna was careful not to disturb Elsa's splinted arm, even though she knew it didn't hurt her sister anymore, but otherwise she ignored Elsa's protests and kept tickling her. "I got you, Elsa! I so got you!" she exclaimed gleefully.

"Elsa, quit spraying snowflakes all over me!" Rapunzel nearly shouted, but she was laughing too.

"Shan't!" Elsa shouted back. Elsa was laughing so hard tears streamed down her cheeks. She finally just made a mound of snow that buried both of the other two girls and then rolled onto the floor out of reach, landing with a thump. Elsa scrambled to her feet just in time to see her parents in the doorway. _Oops. Big oops._

Elsa stood stock still as Anna and Rapunzel shook all the snow off. "Hey, what's the matter, Elsa?" Anna asked. She followed Elsa's gaze to the doorway and instantly knew what was wrong. "Hi Mom, hi Dad. We were just kind of…attacking Elsa with tickles and so she dumped snow on us. Yeah. It was fun, too!"

"Anna, I told you to be gentle with your sister," Idun scolded. "Elsa still has that splint on her arm. She's not completely healed yet."

"I'm okay, Mom," Elsa replied, smiling. "Anna was _very_ careful. She didn't bother my arm at all. And it doesn't hurt or ache at all anymore anyway. Oh, hello, Olaf," she finished as the little snowman came waddling into her room.

"Can I have a snow girlfriend?" Olaf asked again.

Rapunzel and Anna collapsed into giggles. Elsa scowled at them. Idun looked puzzled. Agdar just stared at Olaf.

"You can have a non-living pretend girlfriend," Elsa said finally, hoping that would make Olaf stop asking her that. _I wish I could go back and not hit Anna that night when we were playing,_ she thought. Elsa building a non-living snowman reminded her of the Olafs she and Anna had made when they were little. She quickly made a snowman slightly shorter than Olaf that had crystal ice for buttons and a snowflake that looked a bit like a flower on its-her?-head. _Quit it, Elsa. You can't change the past. You were isolated for thirteen years; you can wish it didn't happen all you want; it won't change anything. You're happy now with Anna._

And then everyone, including Elsa, screamed when a voice announced, "Hello. My name is Rania. I love making new friends, but _don't_ kiss me."

* * *

Anna recovered her voice first. "Elsa…that snowgirl talked. That is NOT a non-living snowman!"

The new snowgirl, Rania, saw Elsa and smiled up at her. "Did you make me?"

Elsa opened her mouth but nothing came out. She felt completely shocked. Why was the snowgirl alive?! She had been considering the idea right as she made her. That had to be why. "I…I…yes," she replied finally.

"Elsa, get rid of that snowman…snowgirl…whatever it is, right now!" Agdar exclaimed.

Rania waddled right up to Agdar. "Why are you fussing at Elsa?" she asked, not rudely, but implying that there was no reason to fuss at Elsa.

Agdar pulled his wife away from the doorway and just slammed the door shut, leaving the three girls and the two live snow creations Elsa had made inside.

* * *

Rania finally noticed Olaf and waddled over to him instead. "I love making new friends, but don't kiss me," she announced.

Anna doubled over with laughter. "Elsa, what's with the 'love making new friends but don't kiss me' thing? What's Rania supposed to be, you?"

Elsa's expression grew serious. _I honestly don't know. Then again, I don't why Rania is alive either…_ "I'm sure she has _some_ character traits of mine, but…I don't know," she answered finally. Elsa knew Marshmallow and Olaf had certain traits of hers, but they still had their own personalities.

"I shan't stay shut in this room," Rania said now. The snowgirl quite honestly sounded quite a bit like a grown-up version of eight-year-old Elsa before the accident. Rania sounded confident yet polite, just simply announcing something she would not do.

"Why would you have to do that?" Anna asked, confused.

"I know Elsa didn't make me on purpose. It was an accident. Her parents don't like me. I won't stay in here!"

Elsa knelt next to Rania and just hugged the snowgirl as she struggled not to start crying again. "Just stay away from my parents," Elsa whispered. "Other than that, go wherever you want and maybe play with Olaf or something." _It's like she's me, but a…a non-damaged me. I'm confused and yet I'm not…_

A moment later, both Rania and Olaf plus all three girls were all huddled together in a group hug. "Elsa, Rania's sort of like you right around the accident, but before…before…" Anna's voice trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Before I became a damaged emotional wreck?" Elsa finished in a flat voice.

"Before you were hurt inside for thirteen years," Anna corrected.

"Euphemism alert. That's the same thing," Elsa replied in that same flat voice. "Look at me. I _am_ much, much better than I was before; even I will have to agree with that. But sometimes…sometimes I wonder if I'll ever really stop hurting completely. I'm not brave like you, Anna. I'm just not." _But you're better, Elsa. You just said so yourself. You'll be completely fine eventually. You've just regressed some because of all the upheaval with Mom and Dad coming back. It's okay._

Rapunzel gave her cousin a reassuring smile. "Y'know, Elsa, I don't know you that well, but I do know you _are_ brave. I know what being locked in one place for years is like, but I also know it was way worse for you, what with your powers and certain people not taking care of you like they should and all. At least I wasn't trying to…not be me all that time. You wouldn't be functioning at all or be here today if you weren't brave. I'm proud to call you my friend and family."

Elsa shuddered a bit and wordlessly held out her left hand, exposing the inside of her wrist. _I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Anna. Not because I'm 'brave'. I'm not brave. I tried to take the coward's way out. I just felt like I couldn't do it anymore…_

"I don't understand, Elsa. What are you showing me?" Rapunzel asked in confusion.

"I tried to…to commit suicide three years ago," Elsa said softly. "I'm not brave. Not like Anna. Or like you probably are, Rapunzel, I don't know you well enough to know for sure…" Elsa didn't resist as Anna picked her up and laid her down on her bed; then flopped down beside her and threw a protective arm around her. _I'm safe. I'm safe with Anna…_

Rapunzel climbed under the covers on the other side of Elsa before looking closely at Elsa's wrist. "Good grief, Elsa, now that you've pointed it out, I can tell there's a scar there, but nobody's gonna know unless you tell them. You can hardly see it. And I think that just proves that you _are_ a brave and strong person. You're still here. 'Cause I know those kind of thoughts don't disappear immediately. Do you get them anymore?"

Elsa considered this for a moment. _Actually, no I don't. And I haven't since before the Great Thaw. I guess you could sort of count my thoughts when I collapsed in the ice after Hans lied and told me Anna was dead, but definitely not since then._ "No, I don't. And I haven't actually…acted on any of those kind of thoughts since I was eighteen," Elsa replied. "I'm much happier than a few months ago," she said with certainty.

"See, there you go! It was also brave that you outright told me what you did," Rapunzel told her.

"And I love you no matter what anyways," Anna added firmly.

* * *

Elsa snuggled down farther under the covers, feeling perfectly warm and content sandwiched between the other two girls. "You two are like hot packs for me. Comforting soothing ones," she said quietly. Elsa actually felt like what she imagined an ordinary girl would at the moment. Not dignified Queen Elsa or even her Snow Queen self, just plain _Elsa_ , a girl having a sleepover with her friends.

Anna gave her sister's shoulder a comforting squeeze before propping herself up on one elbow. "Y'know, I doubt we're supposed to just _sleep_ at a sleepover. We could talk or play a game or something," she suggested.

Elsa blinked sleepy eyes up at her sister. "I'm tired, though, Anna…wait, I know what I want to talk about! What do you two think about that cryptic note and all that money?" she asked. Elsa pulled her arms out from under the covers and pushed the comforter away. "Too hot," Elsa explained.

Anna did not think it was too hot, but then again, she thought her goofy sister sometimes said she was hot at random times. Whatever. _Elsa likes being warm, but she hates getting too hot. All right then._

"Who might you have a link to in the United States?" Rapunzel asked after mulling it over for a minute. "Or rather, who might you have a link to that this Kiara girl might know?"

"That's just it! I have no idea! I know Anna wrote a bit to you about what happened-like how we ended up meeting Superman and whatnot-but the 'bad guys', as you might want to say, are all in jail to the best of my knowledge." Elsa paused for a moment before adding, "I don't see how Kiara could know any of those people, but to be fair, I can't fairly rule the possibility out, either."

"You should've pressed charges or something since you were the one who ended up injured," Rapunzel commented. "I mean, that was what, back right before the middle of August, right? And you're still not completely better."

Elsa shrugged. "I thought the most important things were that Anna and both countries were safe, and that the individuals causing the trouble were put in jail where they belonged. It's not like my arm is permanently messed up or anything. And I get the splint off in a week anyways." Elsa really hadn't considered such a thing; sure, she technically had the ability to punish those people as she chose in Arendelle, but she had decided since they belonged in the United States, she'd just deliver them there and let the U.S. government sentence them instead.

Anna hugged Elsa tightly. "She's just being too nice," Anna informed her cousin. To Elsa she said, "I'll be super glad when you're all better. I still don't like seeing you with that splint on your arm 'cause it means my sister is hurt."

"But I'm perfectly fine, Anna. Really," Elsa said quietly. "Don't worry about me. Going back to the original topic…what do you think I should do about that note?" _Elsa, just go about your usual business and keep your eyes peeled. That's all you can do. You have no other leads._

"I think you oughta not worry about it and just be careful," Anna replied. "And can we play truth or dare?"

Elsa frowned. "I don't think I want to play that. You got me in big trouble when we were little with that game, Anna."

"Oh come on, Elsa, it's fun. If you don't want to get in trouble with a dare, just pick truth every time," Rapunzel suggested.

"Well…" Elsa thought for a long minute before finally saying, "Okay."

* * *

Anna was only too eager to start the game. "Elsa, truth or dare?"

"Dare. Only this time," Elsa replied.

"Run down the hall and do a cartwheel in front of Mom and Dad," Anna announced gleefully. "And say you're practicing for a circus act."

Elsa's cheeks turned pink, but she couldn't hold back her giggles. "They're going to think I have rocks in my head!"

"Bet Mom'll think it's funny," Anna retorted good-naturedly.

"Anna, she can't do a cartwheel with her arm like that," Rapunzel said. "That's not really fair…"

"Elsa knows how to do a one-handed cartwheel. I've seen her do it," Anna replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat at her sister.

Elsa rolled her eyes and hopped to her feet. "Are you two going to follow me to see if I actually do it or not?" she teased. "I might just run off down the hall and come back and say I did it. Well, I wouldn't do that, but anyways…" She raced down the hall and nearly barreled right into her parents. Elsa skidded to a stop, announced that she was a circus performer named Spunky Snowflake, and proceeded to do a cartwheel, which actually surprised Anna, who didn't think Elsa was actually going to go through with it.

Elsa's parents just stared at her as if she had two heads. "What on earth was that all about?" Idun asked finally.

"A dare," Elsa replied, unable to contain her giggles. _Well, not even Dad looks mad. Both of them just look like they think I'm crazy._ "Anna, you thought I wasn't going to do it! And I did!" she informed her sister.

"All three of you are too old for this behavior," Agdar said. "At least keep it contained to your room, hmm?"

The three girls exchanged glances and just shrugged. "Okay," three voices promptly agreed, and they trotted off back down the hall. Elsa was tempted to ice the floor and slide back to her room, but she didn't. There was no need for her to play with her powers right now. _And Dad scolded all three of us, not just me. That means he genuinely thinks we're just too old to play kid games. I don't mind that. We probably_ are _too old…we're being ridiculously childish right now. But that's okay!_

* * *

"What are the three of them thinking?! They're not little kids! Elsa and Rapunzel especially-they're twenty-one for goodness sakes!" Agdar exclaimed. "And Anna just got engaged!"

Idun just guided her husband back to their own room. "Agdar, let them be. They aren't hurting anything. You just remember what I told you about Elsa earlier. I talked to Gerda about Elsa this afternoon, and she told me Elsa used to have panic attacks and that she had a lot of trouble just _speaking_ properly without stuttering. Do you really think that's ok? Elsa seems mostly happy now unless someone sets her off."

"Why would Elsa stutter or have panic attacks?" Agdar asked. "She was always perfectly fine, aside from any mistakes she made with those powers of hers."

Idun sighed. "That's just it, Agdar. Elsa _wasn't_ fine. Anna knew that and tried to warn us, but we couldn't see it. Elsa is too skilled at concealing her feelings. A suicide attempt doesn't come out of nowhere. Her poor mind probably just couldn't deal with it any longer. Elsa seems to be mostly fine now, but she can't deal with being hurt like that again. That little explosion earlier proves that. _Please_ don't hurt her anymore."

"Idun, I don't want to hurt her! I just want to get rid of those powers of hers! And what about that whole abdication thing? Just what would you suggest?"

"You cannot erase Elsa's powers. They're just there. Hurting Elsa inside is not going to get rid of her powers, and you need to get that through your head. And I suggest you just tell Elsa everything- _everything_ -and let her decide what to do. Elsa shouldn't abdicate anyway; at least this way Arendelle will not be under another nation's thumb."

"You imply I would be swayed."

"It's the truth. You agreed to take back the throne from your daughter to get both of us released."

"I thought Elsa would automatically abdicate on her own!"

"And why should she?"

 **A/N: Rania is a VERY secondary character...I had a couple people ask about a girlfriend for Olaf, and while Rania isn't exactly a girlfriend, she is a girl snowman...snowgirl...snowperson...whatever.;) She'll be showing up again, but not every chapter.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	13. It's My Turn Now,,,

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **WarriorQueen14-Lol, I just thought Elsa would probably do something insanely silly like that once in awhile.:P Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking regarding Rania's personality.:) I figured since Rapunzel saw Elsa at the coronation, she would easily see all the changes in Elsa between then and the present.:) And yes, Agdar is still a clueless idiot.:/**

 **Guest-I don't give out my real name or my exact age online. Sorry! I and my little sister are a few years younger than Elsa and Anna are. How's that?:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol XD That note is so true.:/ Elsa's magic is a permanent part of her, like her fair skin and big blue eyes.:) And I agree, Elsa was most definitely not fine before.:/**

 **Guest Mandy-Thanks:) Elsa is my absolute favorite character, so writing the story from her POV was a 'Duh, I HAVE to do that!' idea for me.:P Trying to get inside Elsa's head and write her complicated thoughts during all that time when she's stuck in her room was kind of hard, but fun.:) Well, writing depressed Elsa isn't exactly fun, but you know what I mean.:/ Here's the next chapter!:) Thank you!:)**

 **Awesomewolf-Well, it's not like Elsa has particularly altered her usual activities any. She made it easy to forget she had a broken arm.:P Thank you!:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

Elsa tiptoed down the hall to her sister's room early in the morning exactly seven days later. After that first night when the three girls had played truth or dare together late into the night and early morning causing quite a bit of noise and general havoc (one dare involved Elsa making a rather steep ice slide from the roof down into the courtyard, which then turned into three slides and the three of them seeing who could slide down fastest); Primrose, Agdar, Idun, Gerda, and Kai had fussed at them so much the girls retreated to separate rooms promising not to do that again.

At least not in the middle of the night.

Elsa supposed she could have pulled rank on all of the adults and continued their game, but she had to admit that she, Anna, and Rapunzel _had_ been causing a ruckus. She couldn't, in all fairness, do such a thing, considering she shouldn't have let their game get that out of hand in the first place. They were being noisy, childish, and about as un-dignified as you could get.

Now Elsa eased open her sister's door, darted over to Anna, and promptly dumped snow all over her. "Anna, wake up! I have something to show you!" she whispered loudly.

Anna sat up grumpily and scowled at her sister. "What was that for? It's too early!"

"It's almost eight," Elsa countered.

"Like I said, too early!" Anna replied, and flopped back down again.

"Please? I just want to show you something!" Elsa smiled hopefully at Anna.

"You think my puppy dog faces are awful-so are yours!" Anna said, unable to resist her sister's hopeful expression. "Ok, what?"

Elsa hadn't really been purposely making a puppy-dog expression at her sister, but she couldn't help giggling anyway. _I made a puppy-dog face at Anna? Oops…oh well._ "Look!" she said happily, holding her right arm out for Anna to see. Elsa had been hiding it behind her back, waiting for Anna to wake up entirely.

Anna grinned. "All right, that's definitely worth waking up early for. You got your splint off!" She ever so gently took Elsa's right hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "My sister's all better!" Anna exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can pull my sleeve on my original ice-dress down like it's supposed to be," Elsa quipped. That was the first thing she had done the second that thing was off her arm. Elsa had made that dress with those sheer long sleeves, and while Elsa still wore the dress anyway, she liked it better with the sleeves pulled down like they were supposed to be.

Anna rolled her eyes, but she wasn't surprised. _Elsa loves that dress; I'm not surprised that's the first thing she joked about._ "Does it feel all right?" she asked. "I mean, like moving it and stuff."

"Well…it's a bit stiff, but the doctor said that's normal. And I'm not supposed to stress it too much for awhile, like by picking up something heavy or other things like that." Elsa gave her sister a reassuring smile when she noticed Anna's worried expression. "Anna, it's okay. What did you think was going to happen? That I'd get the splint off and my arm would be instantly back to normal?"

Anna smiled sheepishly. "Kind of, yeah. I dunno; I remember breaking mine years ago, but I guess I forgot that it's not quite completely back to normal immediately," she admitted.

Elsa suddenly hugged her sister close. "I can hug you properly again, too," she said quietly. Anna always wrapped both arms around Elsa tightly when she gave Elsa a hug, and Elsa had missed being able to do that for Anna. Anna's hugs always made her feel safe, like there was nothing that could ever get to her to hurt or bother her. _I'm sure Anna doesn't need that like I do, but I still like to be able to return the favor…and I sound ridiculous. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter._

"Oh, Elsa…" Anna hugged Elsa back and just held her tightly for a moment before pulling away, but still holding her sister's hands tightly. " _Any_ hug I get from you is perfect, Elsa. I mean, just being able to hug you myself without making you all scared is still a treat for me…" Sometimes Anna held Elsa just as much for her own benefit as for Elsa's, just to let herself remember that she really did have Elsa safe and sound with her. She had her sweet big sister back after thirteen years, and _nobody_ would take Elsa away from her again. Never, ever. _And Elsa needs me to love and care for her. I will always do that for her_ , Anna thought.

Elsa didn't answer for a minute, and she just stared. _Hugging me is a treat for Anna?!_ "Why is hugging _me_ a treat for _you_?" she asked incredulously.

Anna couldn't keep her eyes from filling with tears. "'Cause…'cause when you let me hug you now and you don't flinch or tell me to please stop touching you or something, I know you're not terrified inside anymore. I _hated_ seeing you hurting inside so much before that it made _me_ hurt inside too. I didn't understand what was wrong or what was bothering you then, but I knew my sweet big sister was hurting so bad for some reason and I couldn't help you and Mom and Dad wouldn't! And I remember like when I was stuck outside your room and you tried… _that_ and I couldn't get in to help you or that time I found you downstairs in the dungeon and let you out and…and…" Anna paused for a moment before adding, "You looked so sad and tired and just plain miserable and you wanted a hug but only if those horrid old shackles were still on you –I know now that was 'cause you thought those awful things contained your powers then-and you told me you were _happy_ when I did hug you and you were still chained up like that! Those sort of things are why hugging you is a treat for me now! Because of even if my big sister Elsa is upset or something, I know she's not depressed or…or s-suicidal anymore and I can really truly help her!"

* * *

Elsa had been just listening, her blue eyes wide in confusion. She had no idea how to help her sister feel better. Well, she had _some_ idea-she just needed to do what Anna usually did for her when she became upset, but still. "Anna…I…I'm sorry I make you carry a burden around like that," she whispered. "I'm all right; I promise. And I'll _always_ be all right, because I have you with me now. I can't promise I won't get upset anymore, but I can promise I won't get depressed like that again. That _can't_ happen, 'cause you'll see any tiny signs of such a thing long before I'd even realize it." _Those years hurt Anna too, just in a different way than they did me. I'm still not entirely sure why, but she was afraid of losing me. Even though I shut her out for all those years._

"Nothing you ever did or are or whatever is a burden! It's not your fault!" Anna clung to Elsa, as if her sister might disappear at any moment. "I won't have anyone take you away from me again!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Anna," Elsa said softly, now holding her little sister on her lap. _Just like all those times Anna has held me…now it's my turn to do the same for her. I'm the big sister._ "I'm right here, just like you've always been for me. It's my turn now." Elsa's right arm wasn't strong enough to support much of Anna's weight, but she didn't care. She managed to hold Anna securely on her lap, just like Anna had done for her so many times before.

Anna wasn't crying anymore, but she didn't move. "You're holding me, Elsa," she said quietly. _Elsa did the same thing I've done for her so many times…_

"I love you," Elsa answered simply. _I'm being a big sister now, just like I should be. It's my turn now. My turn to take care of Anna._

* * *

Both girls jumped when they heard a voice say, "Just look at them. _That's_ the way things should be. Big sister Elsa looking after her little sister." And then a begrudging, "They _do_ look happy together…I didn't know Elsa could do that."

Elsa and Anna glanced toward the doorway where their parents stood. "Good morning," Elsa said a moment later. _You didn't know I could help someone, Dad? Am I really that awful to you?_

Anna hopped up and ran to find a dress, suddenly realizing she wasn't nearly ready for breakfast. "Be right back, Elsa!"

Elsa smiled, slowly walked over to her parents, and clasped her hands behind her back; then remembered she used to do that every time she asked her parents something or if she was a bit nervous or something and stopped. _I don't remember what I was going to say now...oh. Oh yeah._ "I got my splint off this morning," she announced, holding out her right arm.

"You still be careful, but that's good, sweetie," Idun said as she gave Elsa a quick hug.

"Okay. Thank you for…for the hug," Elsa replied, looking down at the floor. _Why did I say that? I sound pathetic. But I_ am _thankful for Mom's hug. That's okay._

Idun frowned and gently lifted Elsa's chin. "You're welcome, Elsa. You shouldn't feel like you have to say thank-you for your mother hugging you. Goodness knows I owe you about twenty-one years' worth."

Elsa cracked a smile at that. "Not _that_ many years' worth. More like eighteen, don't you think?" Then, "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry-I didn't mean to imply anything, just…just…I'm sorry!" _That would make me three…that's when Anna was born…_

Idun shook her head. "No, Elsa, you're probably right. It's ok to say so." _I practically abandoned little Elsa for baby Anna, and Elsa knows it, at least subconsciously…I should have loved both of them, not just Anna…_

Agdar said nothing, and Elsa didn't ask him to. Elsa would have liked a hug from her father too, but she didn't dare ask.

Just then, Anna came running back, now dressed for the day with her hair in her usual pigtail braids. "Come on, let's all go down to breakfast!"

* * *

That afternoon, Elsa warily followed her father down to the dock to the ship her parents had arrived on. _'Elsa, I don't think that's a good idea,'_ Anna's warning ran through her mind for the zillionth time. Elsa frowned and stopped in her tracks. _Anna is usually right about that sort of thing. Maybe I'm being too hopeful. What on earth could Dad want to show me on that ship? This is stupid. I shouldn't be doing this._ "Dad, you still haven't told me exactly what we're doing," Elsa said now. "I'd really like to know."

"You don't trust me?"

 _No,_ Elsa thought. _I'd like to, but I can't._ "I don't…trust myself to trust you," she replied. "I have nothing to go on." Elsa started walking again, but the logical part of her was screaming that there was something wrong. Elsa's father never wanted to have anything to do with her, it seemed like; and now he wanted to take her somewhere to show her something? What was that all about? She wanted to believe that that wasn't anything amiss, but _something_ was odd.

Then again, Elsa didn't think her father would actually hurt her, not physically anyways. _I sort of trust Dad then, right? Don't be stupid, Elsa. You_ can't _trust Dad…_ Lost in her thoughts, Elsa didn't notice when she walked right into a small room on the ship. Elsa was just gazing outside through the porthole when she jerked around to face her father. _I heard something I never wanted to hear again. I know I did._ "Dad…what…what are you doing?" she asked hesitantly. "What are those…things for?" _You know what they're for, Elsa. Quit naively hoping otherwise. And get out of here and run home!_

Elsa felt as if her feet were rooted to the floor. _What did I do wrong now?! What did I do?!_ She clasped both hands tightly together behind her back and refused to move them. "No," she said quietly. "It isn't fair, and they won't hold me here anyway. Papa…I…I'll break those things. I promise I will. If you don't want me destroying them, let me go."

"Elsa, please, it's for your own good. You have to stay here. I won't keep Anna away from you again-she can come visit or something."

Elsa tilted her head to one side in puzzlement, unwittingly letting her hands fall to her sides. _Dad actually looks genuinely sorry. What is going on? Why does he want to chain me in here? I know he doesn't believe that I can break out, but what's the deal? Wait, since I_ can _freeze my way out, I should quit making a fuss. Then I can prove that I can get out on my own._ "Dad, I don't understand. I will _not_ stay in here. But I'd still like to know _why_!" She didn't move away, but she couldn't help flinching at the awful feeling of that metal over her hands and wrists. _Dad was just waiting for my stupid arm to heal,_ Elsa realized. Elsa suddenly felt a wave of anger wash over her, and she instantly broke the shackle on her left hand off. "I said I would do that," Elsa said flatly when she saw her father just staring at her in surprise.

 _She broke solid metal. She broke solid metal with her bare hand!_ Agdar was simultaneously unnerved and curious. "Elsa…how did you do that?"

Elsa turned her back, unable to keep a terrified expression from spreading across her face. It had taken her an extra moment to process it, but something was wrong with her right hand. _My powers aren't working right! What happened?!_ She could feel her powers doing what she wanted them to inside, but it was like they fizzled out on their way to her fingertips and only gave her tiny snowflakes instead of the strong, intensely cold ice blasts she needed to break metal. Elsa bit her lip and tried again, this time concentrating with all her mind, channeling all of her strength into her hand. _Ice. Ice. Break the metal. You've done it multiple times before, Elsa._ Elsa yelped in pain and clutched her arm against her chest. She felt ice coating the inside of the shackle on her right hand, but nothing else. Elsa's first thought was that she'd broken her arm all over again because it hurt so much, but that wasn't it. _Something's wrong with me. Even if my arm isn't strong enough to use my powers yet, it shouldn't hurt like this. And this means I'm stuck in here! What am I supposed to do?!_ Elsa looked up just in time to see the door shut and hear her father saying he would bring her dinner later. "Thanks a lot," she muttered.

* * *

Elsa realized there was an actual bed in this room-her father must have intended on keeping her here for awhile if not permanently, she supposed-and she slowly lay down, still holding her arm. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked to the empty room. "I can't…c-can't get out, and my arm _hurts!_ " She waited a few minutes for her arm to feel better; then tried to figure out what was wrong. Elsa thought she could feel the spot where the break had healed under her skin when she touched it with her free hand, as if it hadn't healed exactly right; but surely that wasn't what had messed up her powers, right? As a test, she tried to just make her signature snowflake while she held her left hand against that one spot. Elsa felt a sudden ache spreading from that area, and then she was sure. "That's no temporary thing…it's permanent," she whispered.

 _It's okay. I got hurt saving Anna,_ Elsa reminded herself. She just wanted to go home. And she would never tell Anna there was something probably permanently wrong with her arm, because Anna would be sure to blame herself for it. Elsa just knew it.

Elsa turned to face the wall, trying to keep from crying. She was trapped in here, and there was no way for her to get out. Maybe Anna would let her out. _Dad had no right to chain me in here. I'm the queen of Arendelle, for goodness sakes!_ Suddenly angry again, Elsa sat up and began trying to think of a way she could just break her other shackle with her free hand without hurting herself with flying shards of metal. "There has to be a way. I know there is…"

* * *

BACK IN THE CASTLE…

"Agdar, what did you do with Elsa?" Idun asked the second he returned sans Elsa.

"She's perfectly safe."

"Did you leave her locked somewhere on the ship?" Idun demanded.

"Now Idun, you know Elsa is safer there than here. She won't interfere with-"

"Agdar, you need Elsa's signature to take the throne back anyway, and you know it! It will do no good to shut her away somewhere! Besides, I bet Elsa will break out on her own. Probably has already!"

"I don't think her right hand is strong enough for whatever reason. I saw her shatter metal with her left hand. It was…strange, to say the least."

Idun frowned, set her jaw, and just turned her back, marching off toward the castle's main entrance. _You left Elsa chained on the ship. Of course she can't break metal with her right hand yet; she's barely healed for goodness sakes._

"What are you doing?!"

"Rescuing Elsa."

* * *

Elsa had frozen the entire door off its hinges with her left hand, hoping that would make it easier for someone to find her. She still hadn't managed to get the remaining shackle off, but she was determined not to give up. Elsa couldn't keep sad and hurt tears from trickling down her cheeks, but she was also angry; and that was what kept her escape efforts going. _This is not fair! Come on, Elsa, figure something out…_ Elsa jerked her gaze up from where she was trying to pick the shackle's lock open when she heard footsteps. "Please help!" she called; then regretted it, thinking that it was pitiful that the queen had ended up chained in here and was unable to get out.

"Elsa?" Idun called back. "Where are you? I'll let you out!"

 _It's Mom!_ "I _think_ to your right," Elsa replied loudly. A few seconds later, she smiled a bit when she saw her mother in the doorway. "Hi, Mom," she said softly, giving Idun a lopsided smile.

Idun spotted the keys hanging on a hook out in the hallway and quickly ran over to Elsa and freed her. "Oh, Elsa, I'm so sorry. I don't know what your father was thinking!" She hugged her daughter and gently brushed away the tears on Elsa's face. "Are you all right, sweetie? Your arm?"

Elsa's smile faded as she remembered just why she hadn't been able to get out on her own. "It's okay…I just can't use my powers with it anymore," she whispered. "It hurt really, really badly when I tried to do anything with it. I don't think it healed quite right." _Elsa, it doesn't matter. It's fine. Mom let you out. And you got hurt saving Anna. She's worth far more than your stupid arm._

"That doesn't sound very ok, Elsa. I don't know much about how your powers work, so maybe you should talk to Anna about it. She might have an idea," Idun suggested.

"No! Mom, please, you can't tell Anna!" Elsa exclaimed. "She'll blame herself for it and I don't want her to do that. I'd rather she didn't know at all…" _Maybe it'll get better on its own. It's just…if it didn't heal right, I know that's permanent. That's not something that's going to get fixed just by waiting for it to get stronger again._

"Does it hurt now, Elsa?" Idun asked, not replying to Elsa's comments about telling Anna.

Elsa shook her head. "No. I can do this, too…" she held out her signature snowflake in her right hand, "but beyond that, I can't do anything else without it hurting like crazy. I don't know what's wrong."

Idun waited for Elsa to dissolve her snowflake before gently holding both Elsa's hands. "Elsa, you know I'm still not completely comfortable around you when you use your powers, but I don't want you permanently unable to use them because you're hurt. You need to tell someone that might be able to help you. The doctor isn't going to be any help since you said it doesn't bother you otherwise. Tell Anna, since she knows the most about your powers."

Elsa shook her head again. "Mama…I…I can't tell her," she whispered. "Please don't say anything." The original incident that had left Elsa with a broken arm _was_ partly Anna's fault…not a lot, but definitely a little bit. Anna had gone after her sister to see if she was ok even though Elsa had told her not to, and that was how the criminals had captured Anna. Elsa blamed the criminals, not her sister, but Elsa knew Anna would just put all the blame on herself. _I won't have Anna live feeling guilty for something like that. I just won't._

Idun sighed, but she agreed. "I won't say anything, sweetie, but I really think you should tell her."

"Thank you," Elsa said gratefully. _Anna's going to find out eventually…I know she will. I'm just putting it off._

"Let's take you home, Elsa. Maybe the problem will go away on its own." Idun helped Elsa to her feet and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

 _I don't think it will, but thank you anyway._

 **A/N: The idea of Elsa having trouble using her powers properly after breaking her arm goes to Guest Mandy.:) Thanks for the idea, Mandy!**

 **(BTW, I welcome ideas to put in the story, but I won't guarantee that they'll be used. They have to fit with the plot I already have set up, lol.:P Please don't be offended!:))**

 **Awesomewolf, I'll use your idea eventually! Maybe not immediately, but I'll certainly credit you when I do.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	14. Is That Considered Treason?

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **Dragonheart35-That magic mirror idea IS pretty interesting, although it definitely doesn't fit with this story.:P You ought to use it yourself!:) Well, I WAS going for the whole "Agdar is using that same 'conceal don't feel' mantra himself" thing, but it could have been me having an off day too. I don't know.:P Elsa has given her father _way_ too many chances.:/**

 **the green baron-Wait and see!:)**

 **CieloFede-I think in Elsa's mind, that would be a horrible crime.:P Me, personally, in this case? I wouldn't particularly care.;) Elsa's being way too nice, I agree.:/**

 **Arendelle Knight-I don't think Elsa is exactly the best person when it comes to taking it easy for awhile.:P But yeah, Elsa probably shouldn't have attempted that...she shouldn't have gone to the ship with her father in the first place, either.:/ Agdar is hardheaded and doesn't admit that he's wrong easily. Which means he does stupid things like imprisoning the queen of Arendelle, even if she is his kid.:P**

 **WarriorQueen 14-Yes, I agree. Locking Elsa up like that is treason. Elsa should tell her father off for that.:/ I just thought Elsa should have a chance to be the one taking care of Anna for once instead of the other way around.:) I mean, I don't think Anna made it through those 13 years completely unscathed...she just wasn't as battered and hurt inside as Elsa was. You can just look at their expressions at the coronation party...even Elsa's happy expressions seem nervous, like she's not entirely sure it's okay.**

 **Guest-Please don't ask about my little sister's and my ages or real names anymore.:)**

 **Guest Mandy-You're welcome!:) Elsa will be fine...'cause she's Elsa.:) (BTW, _always_ remember that whatever happens, Elsa and Anna WILL get a happy ending. Just saying.;)) You'll have to wait and see about the trolls!:P Oh, I kinda wrote way ahead on this story...I need to write more on "The Coming Storm", lol.:) Awesome, you got an account! Firstly, DON'T TYPE YOUR STORIES DIRECTLY ON THIS SITE. You might lose what you write if it doesn't save.:P Write your story in Microsoft Word or something first; then put it on here. Anyways, go to "Publish" and then 'Doc Manager'. There'll be a 'Create New Document' thingie if you scroll partway down the page. It pretty much explains itself after that.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

The second Elsa walked in the door, Anna grabbed her and just hugged her close. "I was worried about you-I'm glad you're back safe! Where on earth have you been?!"

Elsa wasn't sure what to say; she did _not_ want to tell Anna what had happened because Anna would be sure to jump all over their father about it. _Which I most definitely do not want. I don't want to cause a colossal drama. I need to talk to Dad though. I'm okay; I'm home._

Elsa was relieved of having to answer the question at all when Anna went on, "And do you want to maybe go outside with Rapunzel and me and have a snowball fight? 'Cause Rapunzel and Aunt Primrose have to leave in a few days."

Elsa hesitated. _If I have a snowball fight with Anna and Rapunzel, they're both going to wonder why I'm not doing anything with my right hand…but I'd still like to do that anyway…_ "Okay," she said finally.

When the three girls were all outside, Elsa quickly constructed a small fort for herself and another for the other two girls. "You two against me!" Elsa called out.

"Two against one? That doesn't sound fair to you!" Anna teased.

"The Snow Queen shall reign supreme!" Elsa shot back good-naturedly.

As their game went on, Anna realized that while her sister was using her right hand to throw snowballs the same way Anna and Rapunzel did, she didn't actually use her powers at all with that hand. "Hey Elsa, are you all right?" Anna called.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Elsa asked.

"INCOMING!" Rapunzel shouted, practically tackling her cousin from behind.

On instinct, Elsa whirled around and held out her hands to knock Rapunzel back with a pile of snow. "Oh…that _hurt_ …" Elsa mumbled under her breath, doubling over as she held her arm against her chest. _I shouldn't have done that. What was I thinking?!_ Elsa barely noticed when Anna lowered both herself and Elsa to sit down there in the snow.

"Elsa, what's wrong? What did you do to yourself?" Anna asked, keeping one arm around Elsa's tense shoulders. Anna gently pulled her sister's arm away from her chest; then frowned when nothing seemed to be wrong. _What happened? Elsa seems fine, but she wouldn't be in pain if she was fine…_

Rapunzel shook the snow out of her short brown hair and plopped down next to the other two girls. "I bet making that big pile of snow was too much for Elsa's just-healed arm," she said softly.

Elsa scowled at her cousin, which just confirmed Rapunzel's suspicion in her mind.

"Elsa, that _is_ what's wrong, isn't it?" Anna asked.

Elsa's blue eyes welled with tears as she slowly nodded. "I can't use my powers with that hand without it hurting really, really badly…I don't think it healed quite right or something," she whispered. "I…I wasn't thinking and that's why I made that pile of snow…" _Just please don't blame yourself, Anna. Please. Then I'll be happy…_

Anna frowned and just hugged Elsa tightly. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I wouldn't want to play with you anymore or something if you might be permanently hurt?" _That's my fault…Elsa can't use her powers properly because I partly caused her to get hurt._ "Except…Elsa, you _did_ say the doctor told you not to stress your arm too much for awhile. Which stinks but isn't permanent. Are you sure it's maybe just 'cause you overdid it and that's it?" Anna asked hopefully. _That still isn't good, but it's loads better than something being permanently wrong with Elsa's arm._

Elsa shook her head. "No…I…I just didn't want you to blame yourself… _please_ don't blame yourself, Anna…please… And I don't think it hurts simply from straining it too much using my powers because it doesn't hurt at all otherwise." She looked confusedly at Anna when her sister pulled her to her feet.

"Elsa, I'm gonna take you to the silly trolls. They can tell us what's what," Anna informed her. _Maybe it's just something that will wear off in time. But if not, maybe they'll know how to help her._ "Rapunzel, want to come?"

* * *

Before leaving with her sister and cousin to visit the trolls, Elsa was determined to have a talk with her father about the events that afternoon. _What Dad did was wrong. That crossed the line. Dad can dislike me and disapprove of me, but he didn't have to try to confine me on that ship._ Elsa stopped in her tracks right in the middle of the upstairs hallway. "Is that…is that considered treason?" she asked herself. _I don't even know. He's my own father. It probably technically is, though…_

"Is what treason, Elsa?" Agdar asked, walking down the hallway toward her.

Something inside Elsa told her to politely stand her ground this time. She would not explode and yell, and she would not break down and cry, either. _Stay calm, Elsa. You're upset_ and _angry. Don't cry and don't explode, either._ "Chaining me on that ship," Elsa said flatly. Elsa wondered what to with her hands; she found herself fiddling nervously with her skirt, which was _not_ the impression she wanted right now.

"Oh, come now, Elsa. Where would you get an idea like that?" Agdar asked.

Elsa kept her gaze directly at her father. "Dad, you locked up the queen of your own country on that ship this afternoon. If I weren't your daughter, I _know_ that would be down outright no-arguments-about-it high treason," she said quietly. _Elsa, stay in control. Don't get upset, and don't get angry._ "You taught me what treason was when I was nothing but a little child. 'The crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government'." Elsa rattled off the definition she had known for almost her whole life. She took a deep breath before adding, "I think chaining me on that ship as a most likely last resort because I wouldn't abdicate voluntarily is treason."

Agdar did a double take at her words. "Elsa…you're my daughter. A young girl. A smart young girl, but a young girl all the same."

 _I've convinced myself, I think. What Dad did_ is _treason. I just didn't want to admit it._ "I'm twenty-one years old, Dad; I'm not just a scared or injudicious little kid, even if I feel like one sometimes," Elsa said. To her own surprise, most of her conflicting feelings about the whole thing had faded, leaving only the logical part of her behind. "I'm _not_ a tyrant, but I'm the queen. You had no authority to do that to me, Dad." Elsa felt frost forming on her palms betraying her nervousness at what she intended to say next, and she quickly clasped her hands behind her back out of sight. _Not right now, Elsa. You cannot lose control._ "In fact, I have the authority to put you _downstairs_ " she recalled that horrid euphemism that she loathed with all her heart when she was younger, "for locking me up like that." _Why did I say that?! WHY DID I SAY THAT?! I shouldn't have done that._ Elsa bit her lip as she let her gaze drop to her toes. _That was disrespectful. You should apologize, Elsa._

"You aren't really going to do that…" Agdar said. _Would Elsa really do that? She does have a point; she does have the authority to do as she pleases…_ "Are you?"

Elsa glanced back up at her father, her big blue eyes shining with unshed tears. _'Elsa, it's just till the hurricane is over.' 'How else are we going to make sure you don't go through with the tornado?'_ Elsa remembered only far too well how her own seventeen-year-old and eighteen-year-old self felt when her father had chained her downstairs in the castle dungeon. _It hurt so much and made me feel…worthless inside. I felt lonely and unwanted. I felt like…like no one could ever love or care anything about someone like me._ She finally just averted her gaze and turned away, crossing her arms, hugging herself as her younger self was likely to do. "No…I can't do that to you, Dad," she whispered. "It wouldn't be right. I'll not let my father go through that because he…hurt me…just _no_ …" Elsa closed her eyes and forced herself to get it together as she turned back to face her father. _Come on, Elsa. You can do this._ "No, I am not doing any such thing, and I'm sorry I said that. What I _am_ going to do is this…if you do something, _anything_ , like that to me again, you are permanently forbidden to be anywhere near me unless I'm with Anna. That's all." _And that really shouldn't change much because I'm with Anna almost all the time. I just don't trust myself around Dad when I'm alone._

Agdar just frowned at her. _I know she doesn't trust me, and I can hardly blame her. Elsa didn't even say 'a castle guard'. She said 'Anna'._ "Elsa, you trust your sister implicitly, don't you?"

Elsa smiled a bit at that. "Yes, I do," she said simply. _Anna was always there for me in the past, even when I wasn't there for her. After the Great Thaw, she didn't just dump me when she found out I had so many…problems inside. Anna took care of me instead. She even stayed with me when I had those panic attacks, even when I lost control. She held me and made me feel better. She's made me so much more self-confident than before, too._

"Just for discussion's sake, let's say you and Anna are somewhere by yourselves and you're attacked, just you, though. What do you suppose would happen?" Agdar asked, curious what Elsa's response would be.

"Assuming I wasn't knocked unconscious, I would probably freeze the attacker's feet to the ground, grab Anna's hand, and hightail it out of the area as quickly as possible," Elsa replied almost instantly. "And if I were somehow completely incapacitated, I am quite sure Anna would do whatever she needed to do to keep both of us safe." _I know she would._

"You would fight with those… _abilities_ of yours?"

Elsa's expression fell, and she absentmindedly rubbed her right arm, remembering how she had ended up breaking it in the first place. _I hope Anna's idea to fix it works…_ "Yes, Dad, I would. That's how I broke my arm. I think any average person would agree that you should use whatever defenses you have available in a fight," she said softly.

Anna suddenly came running up behind Elsa and hugged her tightly. "Elsa, are you ready to go now? And oh yeah…Dad, quit implying that Elsa's powers are something awful that make Elsa herself bad, too. STOP IT."

"Anna…" Elsa said warningly. "Dad, it hurts me every time you say things like that. Please keep it to yourself. I can't make you approve of me, but I _don't_ want to hear it anymore."

Anna gave her sister's hand a comforting squeeze. _Elsa's awesome. She stood up for herself and she didn't explode, either. I'm so proud of her._

* * *

By the time the three girls had actually set off for the trolls, along with Kristoff and his sled (equipped with actual wheels at the moment since it wasn't snowy outside), it was nearly five o'clock. "Anna, there's no way I can get you girls back before dark," Kristoff warned. "We'll have to stay at the Valley of the Living Rock tonight."

"That's all right," Elsa said. "Just as long as we're back tomorrow night. I told Kai we would be back by then." Elsa had dearly wanted to just leave her mother in charge, but she'd decided it was probably a better idea to just leave Kai in charge instead.

"There are real live trolls?" Rapunzel asked for the umpteenth time.

Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa all burst into laughter. "Rapunzel, yes, there are real live trolls!" Anna exclaimed. "I don't know why you're so surprised-you yourself used to have magic hair, and your cousin has ice powers!"

"But still… _trolls_?!"

"Rock trolls," Kristoff put in.

"They turn into moss-covered rocks," Anna added. "The kid trolls are funny."

"Moss-covered kid rock trolls. Got it," Rapunzel said, half-giggling.

Elsa just sat in the far corner of the sled seeing exactly how much she could move her right wrist. Besides the issue with her powers not working correctly, her wrist felt weak and stiff to her; and she just wanted it to go back to normal. She dropped her hand back in her lap and watched Anna and Rapunzel see how long they could sit upright without holding on before falling over. Elsa suddenly realized she felt left out, even though she knew the other two girls would welcome her in their game. Seeing another girl almost the exact same age she was reminded Elsa that she still had…scars inside. _I still have emotional problems…I'm perfectly fine compared to the old me, but if you compare me with Rapunzel, I'm a complete wreck. And she's the exact same age I am, except that I'm a couple weeks older than she is._

Anna scooted over to her sister when she noticed Elsa's pensive expression and just put her arm around Elsa's shoulders without saying a word.

Elsa smiled a bit and whispered a thank-you. _This sort of thing just proves it. I'm happy Anna takes care of me when I need it, but I wish I wasn't still…a bit messed up inside. I mean, I know I'm not really 'messed up', per se; but I still hurt inside sometimes._ "Are emotional scars permanent?" she asked finally.

"What does it matter? You're fine like you are," Kristoff said from the front of the sled. "You probably _do_ have emotional scars; I don't see how you couldn't. But you function fine and your sister loves you to death. You're confident in your own built-in abilities, too. I don't think you should worry about it, El-Queen Elsa." Kristoff privately thought that Elsa should have kicked her parents out of the castle from what he knew about Elsa's past, but he wasn't in charge of such things, so he kept his mouth shut. He remembered seeing Elsa have a panic attack shortly after the Great Thaw; and it was that moment that he concluded that that girl's parents hadn't taken care of her properly. Turned out he was right, too, considering what he had seen of Elsa's dad recently.

Anna frowned, worried that Kristoff's flat, honest comments would make her sister upset; but Elsa actually looked happier now. _Kristoff does have a point. Whether I do or not, I_ am _functioning fine and Anna_ does _love and care about me._ "Thank you for that, Kristoff," Elsa replied. She smiled and leaned her head on her sister's shoulder.

* * *

"Welcome and what brings you here, Queen Elsa?" Grand Pabbie greeted Elsa as she and her three-four if you counted Sven-companions walked into the center of the area where the trolls lived.

Elsa knelt to Grand Pabbie's height and held out her right arm. "I broke my arm awhile ago, and I think there's something wrong inside, because I can't use my powers with that hand anymore. Not without it hurting a lot." _Please say it's temporary. Or that's it's fixable…_

"Can you help Elsa? Please?" Anna asked.

"Your friend has healing magic; I can sense it," Grand Pabbie said. "Your sister's arm has healed incorrectly, which is why it pains her to use her powers. She hasn't lost her powers. A physical impossibility for her, as she was born with her abilities."

Rapunzel's eyes grew big. "But I lost my magic when my hair was cut!" she exclaimed in surprise. _I still have my healing abilities?! How is that possible?_

"Only a channel. Use your hands, as Queen Elsa does," Pabbie instructed.

"What about Elsa?" Anna asked again. "Are you gonna help her or is Rapunzel supposed to help her or what?"

Pabbie handed Elsa a small vial of liquid. "Twelve hours. Rebreak. Good as new," he said, and turned back into a mossy stone.

Elsa frowned at the tiny bottle in her hand. "Um…if I'm understanding correctly, this will knock me out for twelve hours…and Rapunzel is supposed to break it all over again and heal it…and I'll be back to normal when I wake up?" she half-stated, half-asked. _Good grief. That sounds almost creepy. What if it doesn't work?_

Kristoff nodded. "That's what Grand Pabbie meant. I agree. If we do it right now, most of that time would be time you'd be sleeping anyway, Els-Queen Elsa."

"Just plain Elsa is fine, Kristoff," Elsa said. "Well, I guess I'd better do it before I lose my nerve…" She uncorked the vial and sniffed at it. "Smells minty," she commented. "Tastes like…peppermint…hot…chocolate…" _A very bad…idea, Elsa…what…are…you…doing…?_ "See you…t'morrow…Anna…" Elsa's voice grew sleepy and slurred as she collapsed into her sister's arms.

Anna scowled. "What's in that stuff?! It works awfully fast! This better work, 'cause I don't want Elsa to get hurt or anything…Rapunzel, please don't hurt her…" Anna cradled her sleeping sister securely in her arms and refused to let go of her.

"It won't hurt Elsa, Anna," Rapunzel said softly. "That's why she's asleep for this, remember?" Rapunzel held Elsa's arm and easily found the spot where the break had been. _No wonder it was hurting Elsa to use her powers; I'm surprised it didn't hurt her just to move her arm! Elsa either moved it somehow before it healed, or it wasn't set right in the first place…_ She braced herself and scrunched her eyes shut before yanking Elsa's arm sharply. "Is Elsa still asleep?" Rapunzel asked, hoping that Anna would say yes.

Anna just held Elsa tighter and gently stroked her platinum hair. "She's asleep, but she's making a face," Anna said quietly. Even though Elsa wasn't awake and Anna had no idea if her sister would register anything that was going on, Anna started talking to her anyway. "Rapunzel's just gonna heal it now, Elsa, 'kay? It won't hurt anymore. The icky part's over."

Elsa sighed contentedly, as if she had been listening to Anna's every word. "No hurt…Anna here…" she said, which made Anna frown and clutch her sister close, as if someone might take Elsa away.

Rapunzel kept her eyes shut as she laid both hands on her cousin's broken arm. _Through my hands like Elsa,_ she thought. "Flower, gleam and glow…let your power shine…heal what has been hurt…bring back what once was mine…" She opened one eye partway and smiled when she realized it was working perfectly. Rapunzel's hands glowed a golden yellow as her healing powers flowed to Elsa's arm, restoring it back to normal. "It's working!" she practically squealed. "Flower, gleam and glow…"

* * *

Anna grinned when she looked closely at her sister's arm when Rapunzel was done singing. _It looks exactly like it did before Elsa got hurt. And there's no weird bump where it's been healed, either. It's like nothing ever happened at all!_ "You're all better, Elsa," Anna whispered in her sleeping sister's ear. "Y'know I wouldn't have thought any less of you if that effect had been permanent though. But I'm so glad Rapunzel was able to help you."

"An…Anna," Elsa mumbled. She didn't wake up, but she curled into a ball right there on the ground with Anna half holding her.

Kristoff grabbed blankets out of his sled-turned-wagon and draped two over the sisters, gave two to Rapunzel, and kept two for himself. "Anna, don't let go of her, all right? She's, like, half knocked out, but I wouldn't be surprised if she sort of wakes up sooner than she's supposed to and is all confused."

"I wouldn't let go of Elsa anyway," Anna replied. "Thanks for sharing your blankets, Kristoff. It's kinda chilly out here, especially since a certain someone is cool to the touch anyway." Anna didn't mind holding her sister, but when it was not quite fifty degrees outside, Elsa's cool body temperature wasn't exactly warming Anna up at all. Elsa wasn't freezing by any stretch of the imagination, but she certainly didn't have an average person's body heat. She was just…cool.

Anna hugged Elsa tightly and just snuggled down under the blankets. _I'm so glad you're really all right now, Elsa._

* * *

When everyone was ready to leave the next morning, Anna wouldn't let go of her sister at all; she just climbed into the sled, still clutching Elsa in her arms. "I'll hold her," Anna insisted. "She'll be safe, and she won't be scared if she wakes up and feels all confused or something."

Elsa slept with her hands clasped close against her chest, and Anna frowned as Rapunzel carefully wrapped a blanket around Elsa. "Rapunzel, she does that when she's upset or scared," Anna whispered.

"Does what? Elsa looks calm enough to me," Rapunzel replied, not understanding what Anna was talking about.

"Elsa holds her hands like that when she's upset or scared," Anna clarified. _And Elsa's frowning…what's bothering her?_ "Elsa, whatever it is, it's all right," she whispered in her sister's ear. "We're just going home now. I'm going to hold you, and we're all perfectly safe, 'kay?"

Elsa didn't react to Anna's words, but ice began forming under her fingers, and she subconsciously buried her face in her sister's shoulder. "Papa…not mean to…please…I love Anna…change her memories…bad…no…don't let…"

Elsa's garbled words made Anna want to cry. _The trolls! They reminded her of what happened when we were little! Oh Elsa, please wake up. Please…_ Anna gave her sister a gentle shake, but Elsa didn't respond. "Kristoff, stop the sled! You gotta help me with Elsa!" she shouted. Anna had noticed Elsa's clenched fists were still sending sharp shards of ice all over…but it was only hurting Elsa herself, not anyone or anything else. "Elsa, stop it!" Anna almost screamed. "You're hurting yourself!"

"Anna, point her hands away from all of us and her," Kristoff said quickly after stopping the sled-turned-wagon. "Elsa has to wake herself up-I don't think we can. But we can keep her from hurting anyone, including herself."

Anna quickly pulled her sister's hands away from her and held Elsa's hands so that the ice shards went shooting into the trees, not cutting up Elsa's palms or shooting at Anna, Rapunzel, or Kristoff. _Oh, Elsa…at least that stupid sleeping potion thing will be wearing off any minute. Then I can help Elsa properly._ Anna hated knowing Elsa was upset and that nobody could actually help her right now.

After what seemed to be an interminable time to Anna but was only a couple minutes, Elsa seemed to abruptly calm down, and Elsa's blue eyes blinked tiredly at Anna. Without waiting to see if Elsa was completely calm now or not, Anna released her sister's hands and just hugged her close. "Oh, Elsa…" she whispered. Then she pulled away and searched Elsa's face for any sign that she was still upset or anything. "Are you all right? Are you upset or anything anymore?"

Elsa seemed confused at the question. "No…I'm okay… What happened? My palms sting something awful…" She glanced at her own hands and frowned. _What did I do to myself? Did I lose control or something? Wait…I had a bad dream. The trolls were going to change Anna's memories again? What?_ "Did I hurt anyone, Anna?"

Anna frowned. "Yeah, you hurt _yourself_ , that's who. But you didn't hurt me or anything, if that's what you mean." Anna cradled her sister securely in her arms and just watched as Kristoff quickly bandaged Elsa's bleeding hands. "Kristoff, how'd you know how to do that so easily?" Anna asked.

"You gotta know how to do that sort of thing on your own when you're ice harvesting," Kristoff explained. "Elsa's hands might hurt, but she's not seriously injured at all. I've seen way worse. Those are practically just scratches."

"Thank you, Kristoff," came Elsa's quiet voice. Elsa looked at her still-stinging bandaged hands for a moment and made a face; then just shrugged and rested her head back against Anna's shoulder. _I'm fine. I'm still not quite sure what happened, but I'm fine. And we're going home now._

"Wait a minute-I bet I can heal Elsa's cuts for her right this second!" Rapunzel exclaimed as Kristoff climbed back to the front of the sled. "I mean, I know she'd heal fine naturally and everything, but why do that when I can help her now?"

An idea suddenly popped into Elsa's head, and she pulled her bandaged hands away from Rapunzel and smiled at her. "Wait 'til we get home. Then you can show Aunt Primrose you still have your magic after all," Elsa offered. "Well, only if you think she'd actually be happy about it," she amended, thinking that her own father would be only too happy if she lost her powers somehow. _Well, Grand Pabbie outright said that was impossible. I thought so!_

Rapunzel hesitated, knowing why Elsa had said the last part. _Uncle Agdar doesn't like Elsa's powers, and Elsa knows it…_ "I think my mom wouldn't mind," she said finally. "But you're just going to stay hurt until we get back just for that, Elsa?"

Elsa shrugged. "My hands just sting a bit now. Besides, it would take days for them to heal anyways without you," she replied. "I don't mind waiting. I _know_ you want to show your mom-I can tell!" _I bet Aunt Primrose will be really happy to see Rapunzel have her powers back; I just know it! Especially considering the way she's treated me._

"Well…"

"Well, I bet Aunt Primrose will be really happy!"

* * *

The second Kristoff dropped the three girls off at the castle, the three of them headed inside. Idun met them in the main entrance hall and immediately frowned at Elsa's bandaged hands. "I thought you two were taking Elsa to heal her arm properly, not hurt her all over again. What on earth happened?"

"Mom, please go get Aunt Primrose," Elsa said, smiling. "Rapunzel has something to show her." She pulled her hands back when her mother started trying to fuss over her. "I'm okay, Mom. And I'll be perfectly fine in a few minutes. Where is Aunt Primrose?"

"Aunt Primrose is right here," Primrose said as she came down the hall. "Rapunzel has something to show me?"

Anna suddenly realized it would _not_ be good for either Rapunzel or Elsa if her father saw Rapunzel heal Elsa. "Uh, it's a surprise! A big surprise. We were thinking it might be nice to show you upstairs in…in, um, in my room!" she made up. Anna grabbed her sister by the wrist since she didn't want to hurt Elsa's hands and pushed Rapunzel in front of her. "Come on, you guys."

Elsa shrugged and let Anna pull her along. _I don't know what's gotten into Anna, but it's probably not a good idea to risk Dad seeing Rapunzel fix me either._

The second they were in Anna's room, Anna shut and locked the door behind her. "'Kay, now Rapunzel can show you, Aunt Primrose. Actually, wait a second…" She pulled Elsa off to the side and gently took the dressings off Elsa's hands, revealing the cuts crisscrossing both palms. Anna frowned, upset that Elsa had done that to herself even though it hadn't been on purpose; then reminded herself that her sister would be perfectly fine in a minute.

Elsa bit her lip and held her hands out to her cousin. Now that she was here, she wished she'd just let Rapunzel heal her on the way home, because she did _not_ want to explain just how she had gotten hurt. _I'm not a hundred percent sure myself what happened, actually…_

"Elsa, what did you do to yourself?!" Idun asked, horrified at those marks all over her daughter's hands.

"She had an icky dream and did it to herself in her sleep," Anna explained. "With ice. There was this sleeping potion thingie so Elsa would be asleep while Rapunzel fixed her arm, and…yeah…Elsa hurt herself in her sleep."

"Rapunzel, please hurry up," Elsa whispered. _I don't want to talk about that anymore._

Rapunzel nodded and held Elsa's hands in her own as she began singing. "Flower, gleam and glow…let your power shine…"

Primrose was shocked and then just smiled. _Rapunzel has her healing powers back! She just sends her power through her hands now like Elsa does with her ice, rather than using her hair._

* * *

When Rapunzel was finished singing, Elsa smiled and held up her hands. There wasn't a mark left on her palms; they were completely back to normal. "Rapunzel has her healing powers after all!" she couldn't help announcing happily. "That's how we fixed my arm, too…" Elsa tossed a sprinkle of snowflakes into the air with her right hand. It felt exactly as it had before she'd broken her arm in the first place; if anything, Elsa's arm felt stronger than ever to her now. Elsa suddenly hugged her cousin and whispered a thank-you in Rapunzel's ear.

Rapunzel hugged Elsa back, and a moment later Anna hugged both of them…and then the girls' mothers hugged all three of them tightly…and all five of them half-fell, half-sat onto the floor.

Elsa felt perfectly contented right now. _I do have a family that loves me. There's no dad in it, but I have two mothers, a cousin, an aunt, and the best sister in the world. And if I count Kristoff, I have a brother, too. And I have Olaf and Marshmallow and now Rania._ "I _do_ have a family that actually cares about me," she said softly, not realizing she was speaking aloud. _I'm not that lonely girl locked in her room anymore…and Anna loved me for all that time anyways. And I think Mom was just scared of my powers, but she didn't actually dislike me…_

Elsa's unknowing words sent a sharp pang through her mother's heart. _Elsa lived for all those years with no one that truly cared for her. Gerda and Anna would have, but Gerda had no authority to change the situation and neither did Anna…_ "Elsa was just a _little girl_ , and I hurt her for ten years!" Idun exclaimed finally. "And now she's happy and yet she's still stuck with emotional problems she never should have had in the first place!"

Elsa gently pushed the rest of her family away, even Anna; and hugged her mother tightly. _I can help Mom feel better. At least I think I can._ "I'm okay," she said quietly. "I know I have emotional scars inside from what happened, but I'm okay now. I function fine and Anna takes care of me when I need it. Don't worry about it," Elsa finished, remembering the honest words Kristoff had told her the day before. _And it's true. I'm okay._

"Elsa, this is _not_ ok…your own parents abused you for years on end, and I can't fix it," Idun said, now holding Elsa close. _I can't erase what Agdar and I did to her. Elsa is so much happier than when she was eighteen, but…_

"But that's the past, and it's going to _stay_ in the past where it belongs," Elsa said firmly. "Mom…I'm still not convinced that what happened counts as abuse anyway. You and Dad never laid a hand on me, never ever."

"Sweetie, we hurt you here…and here," Idun replied quietly, pointing first at Elsa's head and then her heart. "There's other kinds of hurt besides physical. And it doesn't heal as quickly or easily either. What your father and I did to you was horrible. We didn't _mean_ to hurt you, but it happened all the same. Anna warned us you were getting upset and depressed, and we didn't listen to her. I can't even imagine how awful it would have been to…to find no Elsa here if Anna hadn't caught you…"

Elsa tilted her head to one side, considering what her mother had just said. "You'd really have missed… _me_?" she asked hesitantly. _Well, I can believe that Mom would have missed me, but I can't help thinking Dad wouldn't care very much…_ "Even though I didn't…didn't warn you about that storm? I'm sorry I didn't-I was scared, and…and I just…"

Idun frowned and gently stroked Elsa's platinum hair as Elsa hid her face in her shoulder. "Elsa, we wouldn't have believed you then even if you _had_ said something. And yes I would have missed you! All the more so if I'd lost you like… _that_. You don't feel like that anymore…do you?" _Please say no, Elsa…_

"Never, ever," Elsa said with certainty. _That's the truth. I never feel like that anymore, and besides, I promised Anna I would never do that._ "And it won't happen again. I promise."

 **A/N: So Elsa's finally had enough...it's about time.:P Please let me know what you thought of the things she told her father. I couldn't see her actually doing anything to him, regardless of the fact that she has the authority to do so.:/**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	15. Kidnapped!

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **Guest-Thank you!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-You're welcome.:) Lol, that's a headcanon of mine. Both Rapunzel and Elsa were born with their powers, so it's impossible for them to lose their abilities, although it's even more so for Elsa. (At least in my mind.;)) Yes, Idun actually loves and wants to take care of Elsa now.:)**

 **the green baron-Well, Elsa didn't tell Anna what happened because she's trying to avoid that very thing.;) She's trying to keep the peace.:) But yes, I could see Anna doing that, if she knew what happened.**

 **Arendelle Knight-Exactly! Rapunzel just can't channel it through her hair anymore. I thought hands because it'd be kind of awkward if Rapunzel has to cry every time she wants to heal someone, lol. Hands just seemed logical to me.:) Well, yeah, Elsa should have sent Agdar 'downstairs'. I just thought that would be completely OOC for her.:P So Agdar just thought she might for a minute.**

 **Inkfinger2000-Thank you! Well, sure, I'd say why wouldn't Elsa use her powers to protect herself too, but Agdar still remembers that scared girl from before that was terrified of hurting people.:/ And yes, Elsa could have used her good arm to break loose, but she was afraid she'd end up cutting herself with shards of metal flying right into her hand. I think if she'd been stuck there much longer, she would have just taken the risk and done it anyway.:)**

 **Mandy-Thank you!:) I think I agree. I mean, Elsa does have the authority to do as she pleases, but she wants to show her father she can do a good job as queen.:) Lol, that's okay! I was just saying that 'cause there WILL be a bunch of trouble before Elsa and Anna get their happy ending.:) And YW! Can't wait to see what plotlines you come up with! Cool, I can't wait to hear what you think about 'The Coming Storm'.:)**

 **WarriorQueen 14-Yay, thanks!:) Yep, I thought it was about time Elsa said something in her own defense. And yes, Idun understands better all those mistakes she and Agdar made in regards to Elsa (and Anna too, really) in the past.:) I think Elsa and Rapunzel have the same type of powers too (they're both born with them, for goodness sakes!:)) And yes, Elsa can use both hands properly again.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"I still say you're just jealous of her," Kiara said flatly, referring to Elsa. "You're jealous 'cause she's younger than you and rules a country in her own right." Kiara glanced around the compartment that was now hers in the submarine. While it was tiny, it was the most luxurious living quarters she'd had in years. She knew Elsa would have let her stay in Arendelle castle, but she was too prideful to ask for such a thing. Kiara was only too eager to accept the same thing from her brother. Her family owed her that and then some, in her opinion. "Bet she's a hundred times smarter than you, too."

Hans slapped his little sister across the face, shouting, "Don't you _ever_ say that again!" and then found himself lying on the floor a second later with Kiara glaring down at him.

"I'll trip you again, you big clumsy idiot," Kiara spat out. "Or should I shock you instead? Or charge the metal walls of your crummy submarine?"

"Such loving siblings," Lex Luthor deadpanned from the controls that steered the submarine. "I'll dump the both of you right here if you don't behave."

"You can't, Luthor," Hans said, smirking at him. "You need us to get that girl Elsa and her sister. Besides, _my_ sidekick is the one with the powers. You just have what's his face…Otis or somebody."

Kiara gave her brother a shock of static electricity. "I am not your sidekick! The only reason I decided to help you is 'cause you promised to get me back in good graces with our family!"

"Careful who you trust, little girl," Luthor commented.

"I can take care of myself," Kiara retorted. "Why do you guys hate Snow Queen anyways? She's really nice." _I warned Snow Queen Elsa. She'll get away, right?_ Kiara was starting to second-guess her decision now, but she wanted her family back so much. Still…a bit of her was still convinced that she was doing something wrong, even though she'd tipped Elsa off. _I'm double-crossing my own friend, and for what? To be with my brother, who dislikes me and I don't trust? He promised he'd get me back in good graces with our family, though…and he paid me a ton of U.S. money…Which I gave Elsa…_

Luthor was silent. He had a personal vendetta against Elsa because she had refused to help him get rid of Superman; and also because she had gotten him tossed in prison in the U.S.

Hans thought for a moment and decided to twist the truth. "She froze her sister to death back in July."

"Her sister is perfectly fine. Annoying, but fine," Kiara replied, crossing her arms.

"Only because of some act of true love thing. And your Snow Queen friend was about to kill two of my…friends at her ice palace once."

"Bet she was provoked. Maybe she was defending herself. Were they trying to hurt or kill her?" Kiara questioned. _She never mentioned anything like that to me…_

"Defending herself by killing them? Don't you think just…incapacitating them would be better?"

Kiara hesitated. "Depends on who attacked first," she said finally. "And who has better weapons." _I know I'd definitely defend myself and risk killing the person if they attacked me first._

"Your friend pinned one man against the wall with icicles and almost pushed another off a balcony into a chasm," Hans went on.

Kiara rolled her eyes at that. "Is _that_ all?! That doesn't sound like she was about to kill anyone, you dunce. _Almost_ pushed someone into a chasm? Who cares? Elsa didn't do anything wrong!"

"She would've gone through with what she was doing if the Arendelle guards and I hadn't stopped her," Hans said.

"So how did you stop her then, hmm? Snow Queen Elsa has powers. Ones that I'm pretty sure are stronger than mine, although I don't want to admit it," Kiara replied.

"Her heavy chandelier fell on her and knocked her out."

"If a chandelier fell on Elsa, then you didn't stop her at all, dummy. That's just luck."

Hans bristled but didn't explain that he had dropped the chandelier on Elsa on purpose. That definitely wouldn't convince Kiara that Elsa was the villain and not himself and Luthor.

Kiara sat in silence for a minute; then asked, "What are you going to do with Elsa if you catch her?" _They won't hurt her, will they? They just want to get her off the throne, right? And Elsa will probably get away, but…still, just in case…_ When she didn't receive a reply immediately, she jumped up and shoved her brother against the wall. "You're going to try to kill her or something, aren't you?" she demanded.

There was a split second's hesitation before Hans said no. "Just have her…put away for awhile," he said finally.

"I don't like this," Kiara growled. _Well, wait a second…Elsa has her own powers. She can break out of anything they put her in._ "I don't care what Elsa has done, she was nice to me!"

"I bet you never told her you were an electrified fre-that you had electrical powers," Hans said, remembering he'd promised not to call Kiara a freak anymore.

Kiara scowled and said nothing. _No, I didn't…_

"She was just being nice to you because you were a little girl living on the streets and she thought it was her duty."

"I am not a little girl!" Kiara continued scowling and turned her back on her brother.

* * *

MEANWHILE…

It was now two days since the visit to the trolls, and Rapunzel and her mother were set to leave Arendelle that afternoon. As one last activity together, Elsa took Anna and Rapunzel for a ride in the small ice-copter she had made not so long ago. Elsa landed the ice-copter a short ways out into the fjord, and the three girls hopped out and sat on the ice-copter's skids so they could dangle their feet in the cold fjord water. Despite the fact that it was October now, it was quite warm outside, although it was sure to grow downright cold at night.

"I'm so glad you were able to come visit, Rapunzel," Elsa said. "And I can't thank you enough for fixing my arm like you did…"

"I'd have been a creep if I didn't!" Rapunzel replied, giggling. "I mean, I would have healed it the second I saw you if I'd known I could have."

Anna eyed an odd bubbling in the water. "Uh, you guys…? What's that?" she asked a bit nervously.

Both Elsa and Rapunzel looked, but whatever Anna had seen, it had disappeared. There was nothing there. Still, the three of them climbed back into the ice-copter, just in case. "Maybe it was nothing, but better to be safe than sorry," Elsa said. _I wonder what Anna saw…_

All three girls just sat in the cockpit in a contented silence for a while. It wasn't unusual for Elsa to do that, but Anna talked all the time and Rapunzel almost as much. But right now, they were happy just sitting together looking out the ice-copter's window over the fjord.

The silence was broken when a completely oblivious Elsa felt a strange-smelling rag over her nose and mouth. With no time to really think of defending herself, she just collapsed in a surprised heap on the floor. Elsa managed to lift one hand and send a single icicle flying before blacking out. _Anna…please…get away…_ The icicle hit its target, and the assailant gave her a sharp kick in the side before clutching at his own leg. Elsa groaned and subconsciously curled into a ball.

Anna whipped around, hearing that awful sound from her sister and sensing someone behind her, and screamed. "Get away from Elsa! What did you do to her?! Wait a minute…what are _you_ doing here? Elsa got you put away in jail in the U.S.!" _What is Hans doing here?! And why's Elsa just lying on the floor?!_ She quickly picked up her sister and held her protectively in her arms. "What. Did. You. Do. To. Elsa?" Anna asked in the most menacing tone she could muster.

"She's knocked out, obviously. You don't have any defenses at the moment. Now cooperate or I'll kick her again."

Anna bit her lip and just clutched Elsa tightly. _You already hurt her. I'm not letting you do it again._ "I won't 'cooperate' and you aren't gonna hurt Elsa either," she replied.

"I'll shoot your brown-haired friend over there," Hans retorted.

Rapunzel just stared in horror at the situation. There was no doubt in her mind that Elsa could easily get all three of them to safety if she was awake, but Elsa was just lying helpless in Anna's arms. _I wish I had my frying pan,_ she couldn't help thinking.

"You have ten seconds," Hans said.

Anna glanced from her cousin to her sister to Hans and scrunched her eyes shut. _I gotta be the smart one this time. What should I do? I don't have any help from Elsa this time. She needs_ my _help._ Anna stared right at Rapunzel and caught her gaze. _I have to go with him to keep him from killing you. Give an SOS back at the castle. Get somebody sent after us._ Anna had no idea how much of her thoughts communicated via her gaze, but her ten seconds were up, and she would not let any of the three of them get killed.

"Your time's up. What'll it be?"

Anna glared at Hans and said, "I'll cooperate. But don't you lay a finger on Elsa."

"Oh, let me give Anna a hug!" Rapunzel exclaimed, and dramatically began bawling as she threw her arms around Anna's neck, half squishing Elsa. "I'll send help," she whispered in Anna's ear. Then, loudly, "Oh, _please_ just let us go! We don't want to hurt you or anything!" Rapunzel whispered again, "Don't lose hope. United States. Remember the warning?" _That was U.S. money. I have no idea what's going on, but I'm almost positive that's where Elsa and Anna will be taken._

Anna nodded ever so slightly and began crying herself. "I'm never going to see you again…" she sobbed out. Then she whispered, "Get yourself out of Arendelle ASAP," knowing Hans probably was trying to take over the kingdom again somehow. _Elsa can take the kingdom back easily enough. We just have to escape and get back home._

Hans dragged Anna away from Rapunzel, causing Anna to drop Elsa. "Quit your theatrics and come on," he said. He jumped when he noticed Elsa stirring a bit on the floor; then roughly tossed her over his shoulder and climbed down into the submarine, knowing Anna would follow since she wouldn't want to leave Elsa alone.

* * *

The second the submarine's hatch was closed, Hans dropped Elsa to the floor, and Anna knelt next to her sister and held her close. "Quit being all rough with her like that!" Anna said angrily. "She's gonna have bruises all over." _Elsa, I'm sorry I couldn't get us out of there safely. I don't like you sleeping like this…I don't know what that creep did to you, but…_ Elsa stirred in Anna's arms and held one hand over her ribs as a pained expression flitted across her face, but she didn't make a sound. Anna frowned, hoping Elsa hadn't cracked a rib or something and that she just had a bruise there. _Please be ok, Elsa. You can't be hurt again; you just can't. We don't have Rapunzel with us right now._

Hans ignored Anna and shoved a pair of gloves on Elsa's hands. To which Anna scoffed and said disdainfully, "Elsa can freeze through that in about, oh, a tenth of a second."

"She _can_ , but she _won't_ ," Hans told Anna. "I seem to remember a certain someone believing gloves help keep her powers inside…hmm?"

Anna bit her lip. _You're trying to mess with Elsa's head somehow. Elsa, please_ don't _wake up. What you don't know can't hurt you._ Anna considered taking the stupid things off her sister and throwing them right in Hans's face, but thought better of it. She remembered Elsa saying once that it mattered whether or not a captor actually needed his or her hostages alive for something. If the captor didn't, they might just kill their prisoners with no thought whatsoever. But if the kidnapper _did_ , then everything was something of a stalemate. Since Anna didn't know whether she and Elsa needed to be kept alive or not in Hans's mind, she would have to behave until she knew one way or the other.

"You will tell her it is to keep her safe if she starts waking up. Then you will put her to sleep again."

"Why not just keep Elsa asleep until we reach whatever stupid place you're taking us?" Anna asked, stalling for more time.

"You know why not," Hans retorted. "You aren't as dumb as you look, Anna."

"That's Princess Anna to you, you horrid creep!" Anna hugged her sister close and hid her face in Elsa's shoulder. _I have to get us out of here! And I can't show any weakness. Not_ any. _I have to be a rock…right? A boring, stubborn rock._ She felt Elsa stirring and chanced a glace at Hans to see if he had noticed. _Good, he didn't. He's over on the other end of…of wherever we are._ Anna didn't move, but she began whispering in her sister's ear, hoping Elsa was awake enough to understand. "Elsa, it's me, Anna. Stay still. You've been knocked out somehow. Don't want anyone to know you're starting to wake up."

Elsa's mind felt cloudy, but she was lucid enough to understand what Anna wanted. She nodded ever so slightly and went completely limp as she tried to clear her jumbled thoughts. _What happened? I know someone knocked me out, but…but then what? Where am I? And I have a terrible headache. I feel like I'm going to throw up. But I'm supposed to be pretending to be asleep. Can't barf. My ribs hurt, too. What happened?_ Elsa dearly wanted to just jump up and freeze herself and Anna out from wherever they were, but she felt too sick and disoriented to do so and knew she would probably just get both of them in more trouble by being half-conscious and clumsy with her movements. So she decided to just listen to Anna's instructions at the moment.

"What are you whispering over there?" Hans asked. "Is she awake?"

Anna tightened her grip on Elsa and just answered, "No. She hasn't moved an inch." _I lied, but…I have to keep both of us safe…_

"Then why were you talking?"

"Because I like talking to myself," Anna replied quickly.

"You are so weird," a disdainful young girl's voice said.

Elsa wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't-she could have _sworn_ she had just seen her own ice palace a second ago, and she knew _that_ was her imagination because her eyes were closed-but she was suddenly quite certain she'd just heard Kiara's voice. _What's going on? Kiara tipped me off and yet she's involved with whatever is going on? I'm confused._ Elsa felt one of her sister's pigtail braids tickling her nose and couldn't hold back a sneeze. _Oh, no. What have I done now? And my head hurts, and I feel just plain…weird._

"Don't you touch her!" Elsa heard Anna say. She felt herself being practically squashed in Anna's arms, but she didn't react. Maybe she could feign sneezing in her sleep. That was possible, wasn't it? Other than the fact that she had sneezed snowflakes just now. Elsa suddenly realized that there was something on her hands. Whatever it was needed to go. Now. She hated wearing gloves. Hate, hate, hated it. _Anna told you to stay still,_ Elsa's logical bit of thought reminded her. _Whatever's wrong with you, you're in no condition to fight._

* * *

Elsa sensed someone bending over her, but she kept her eyes closed. The only person here that was her friend was Anna, and Anna was holding her. So whoever that was needed to believe she wasn't conscious. Right? She wasn't sure. She still felt awfully confused and having absolutely no idea of her surroundings unnerved her. Elsa flinched when she felt a sharp pinch on her arm, but didn't make a sound.

"She's not out. You lied," Hans said. "She just flinched."

Now that their cover was blown, Elsa wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing. She felt a bit more awake now, but she still felt nauseous and she had a splitting headache that was making it difficult to think clearly. _I don't even know where I am. At all. And I'm confused and sick and I need to get Anna and myself out of here and I feel like I can't. Wait…I should at least try. Right?_ Elsa blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings, but everything was blurry and out of focus to her and all her disoriented mind registered was that whatever this place was, it was small, metal, and most likely not safe.

Anna sighed in disgust, but she gave her sister a small smile when Elsa's confused gaze settled on her.

Elsa felt slightly more at ease now that she actually saw Anna for herself. _I'm safe as long as I'm with Anna. But I have to get us out of here!_ Elsa struggled to her feet, ignoring the pounding in her head, and promptly grabbed at the wall as she lost her footing. She managed to keep from falling, but everything was spinning…there were three stupid Hanses smirking at her and two Kiaras sitting on a bunk and she just wanted _home._ "Why…did…you…take…us?" she asked, carefully enunciating each word. Elsa suddenly remembered the gloves on her hands, slowly and deliberately slipped them off, and then flung them in Hans's general direction. "I don't…wear those…things anymore, remember?" Elsa added, speaking as if she were explaining it to a complete idiot…which, of course, she was. Wasn't she? Elsa squinted and tried to freeze Hans's feet to the floor, but her dizziness altered her usually impeccable aim and she missed entirely.

Anna privately facepalmed. _What is Elsa doing? She's trying to help, but whatever knocked her out has really bad aftereffects._ She hopped to her feet and put one arm around her sister and held her hand, trying to support Elsa and keep her from losing her balance.

"Not so powerful now, are you? I'm smarter this time. Since you fight so well, gotta incapacitate you before you can do anything, huh?" Hans marched right up to Elsa, but Anna blocked him and refused to move.

"You'll not lay a finger on her," Anna spat out. "I don't know what you gave her, but she's not even completely conscious. Even you have to admit that hurting a half-conscious girl is completely unfair and ridiculous."

"Do I?"

Elsa's mind was suddenly screaming at her that no matter what, above all she needed to get Anna as far away from Hans as possible. She shoved Anna behind her and fell herself in the process. Elsa suddenly found herself being pinned in place and that same strange smell bombarding her again. This time she lashed out. Ice exploded from her hands as she struggled to get away. _Wait a second…I have no idea where my ice is going! What if I hit Anna?!_ Elsa heard a quiet yelp from somewhere behind her and instantly stopped her fighting. "Anna! Anna, are you…okay…"

Anna nearly began crying when she saw Elsa go still again. Elsa had indeed hit her sister with a shard of ice, but it had just left a long scratch down Anna's arm and Anna knew Elsa hadn't meant to do that. With strength she didn't know she had, Anna shoved Hans away from her sister as hard as she could. "I said, LEAVE ELSA ALONE!" she screamed. Anna sniffed the air and promptly held her breath. That weird smell probably had something to do with why Elsa had been knocked out. She spotted the rag in Hans's hand and grabbed it herself. "Take that!" Anna sighed in relief as that man collapsed to the floor. _Ok, who else is in here? I got rid of that drip anyways…temporarily._

* * *

Kiara curled farther into her bunk. This whole escapade confused her now. What on earth was going on? The whole lot of these people were crazy, including her friend Elsa. Elsa had hurt Anna with her ice. Kiara had seen that herself. _But Hans was trying to knock her out. Of course she fought back. I would too. Maybe she hit Anna by accident._

Luthor, still steering the submarine, ignored all of the commotion behind him. His allies were half-useless. A little girl and a dumb prince bent on taking a tiny kingdom. Who cared? He knew the main threat-Elsa-had been neutralized, so the rest of the others could just fight to their hearts' content.

Anna scooped up her unconscious sister and laid her on a bunk, only to have Kiara shout, "This is my space! Put Snow Queen on the bunk above mine!"

Anna sighed. "Come on, Elsa is…was…your friend. Can't she lay on yours? She's unconscious. Elsa might fall off the top bunk."

Kiara didn't reply, but she climbed onto the top bunk herself. Anna took that to mean that she could put Elsa on the lower one. _Kiara isn't a complete bad person here. What is going on? If she didn't like Elsa, she wouldn't have moved for her._ Anna gently stroked her sister's hair and held her hand tightly. _We're going to get home, Elsa. I don't know exactly how, but we will. We'll be invincible together. So there._

 **A/N: So...dun dun dun dun...*sings very bad suspense music* :P**

 **You guys can figure out what substance knocks people out that quickly.:P I know something like that would probably work faster on someone as slender as Elsa, but...I don't know exactly what. Anyways...**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	16. Epic Fail

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **[BTW, thanks to everyone who gave their two cents on what the knock-out substance is.:P I think I'm going to leave it nameless in the story, but it seems like we have a general consensus that it's probably chloroform.]**

 **raven678-Thank you!:)**

 **readeronly76-Thank you!:) I thought 'colophon' was a publisher's emblem or imprint? At least that's what my computer's dictionary says.:P**

 **CieloFede-That's what I thought...Elsa's so little ANY weird substance's effects would work faster and stronger on her if she's given the dosage for an average person.:/ No worries, I'll say right now Elsa and Anna _will_ escape.:)**

 **Frozen789-Here's the next update!:)**

 **puppyfriend-Annnddd...here's the next chapter!:)**

 **DodgersGirl-Hi, Nikki! Thanks for leaving a review! Can I say this is the first time in forever that I'm talking to you?:P I PMed you (not on here, obviously, lol) :)**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol, I have trouble with coming up with chapter titles.:P Kiara isn't being very smart at the moment at all, I agree. She's under the impression that since Hans paid her a ton of money (which she gave Elsa), he's telling the truth. But she also thinks that even a slim chance at getting back with her family is important...and also keep in mind Kiara doesn't know the entirety of Luthor's and Hans's plans and she also thinks tipping Elsa off makes her own actions not so bad.:P Kiara is eleven. More of her backstory is in the next chapter.:) And the PS...Hans was counting on coercing Anna into telling a half-conscious Elsa that the gloves were to keep her safe. Elsa might very well listen to Anna and get upset, especially if she wasn't completely awake. But that was a total fail since Anna started whispering to Elsa before Hans even know she was starting to wake up...and the first thing Elsa did when she stood up was take them off. Fail on Hans's part!:P**

 **Mandy-Yep, that was the clue for the submarine!:) Well, the Kryptonian villains are still powerless and in jail in the U.S. in my headcanon, so I can't really use your idea.:P Also I kind of already wrote the whole cell and escape scenes; they just need editing.:) But very creative ideas! I just can't use them. Sorry!:/ Wait and see about Weselton and Hans.;) No comment about that! Thanks for the feedback about 'The Coming Storm'.:) I agree; Anna gives Elsa everything she never had for all those years locked in her room. Elsa _needs_ someone like Anna to be there for her, especially when she can't 'be there for herself'. Elsa didn't understand that her own childhood wasn't like it should be...she's still that scared little girl in some ways (which is probably one reason why Elsa was able to easily connect with the children:)). And I think Anna helps Elsa heal inside simply by being around her.:) Well, thank you for the compliment, but I'm just writing what I picture Elsa and Anna and the others would be like if they existed in real life. It sounds crazy, but usually it's Elsa writing the story, not me.;) She and Anna decide what happens, lol. Good grief, I sound crazy...I'll shut up now.:)**

 **WarriorQueen 14-Lol, yes I think you're crazy (I don't like Hans at all; he can drown at the bottom of the sea for all I care:P), but we are all entitled to our own opinions.;) Thank you for sticking with my story even though Hans is one of the villains.:) I promise I won't kill Hans off in this story; I have NO intentions of redeeming him because I personally think that's impossible, but he'll get a chance later on to actually explain a bit of why he acts like he does. Kind of 'villain who actually has motives and isn't just a creep for no reason' type thing.:) I haven't really explained why Kiara's family doesn't like her, so...wait and see.:) No, I HIGHLY doubt 1800s technology can track a submarine. So Rapunzel telling what happened is pretty useless...Arendelle can send out search parties, but that's about it.:/ Yikes, I kinda remember hearing something about that case. *shudders* Creepy! I promise Elsa isn't going to die from being given too much chloroform or whatever the nameless substance is.:) Thank you!:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

Elsa regained consciousness slowly. Those same symptoms-the headache, the dizziness, the sense that she might throw up-seemed even stronger than before to her, and she wished she simply knew _why_ this was happening. The only solid information she had was that Hans had kidnapped her and Anna; Kiara was with him; and Hans appeared to be more equipped to handle her this time, which unnerved her. While Elsa could easily defend herself against brute force if she moved quickly enough with her powers, she couldn't use her abilities to withstand whatever substance that knocked her out. _I need a plan. Also, it will be nearly impossible to find our way home from the United States, which I'm almost positive is where we're being taken. We won't have any idea how to get home._ Elsa struggled to turn over on her side and bit back a yelp at the increased pain in her ribs. _Terrific. What else can go wrong? I'm pretty sure nothing's broken though, because it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as my arm did. That's good, anyways._

Elsa practically jumped out of her skin when Anna suddenly appeared in her line of vision. "An-Anna…" Elsa started to say. "I…I want to go-"

Anna quickly clapped her hand over her sister's mouth, knowing what Elsa had probably been about to say. _She's still not completely awake, I don't think…_ "Elsa, lay still for now," she whispered. "We'll be all right."

 _Home_ , Elsa finished in her head. _Wait, I shouldn't say anything even remotely like that. We can't show any weakness…right? My head hurts…I want to go home. I want to go home!_ Elsa felt absolutely chagrined when tears began trickling down her cheeks. _Stop it, Elsa! You can't do that here. You cannot show any weakness._

Anna glanced around to make sure no one was paying them any mind before gently brushing her sister's tears away. "Don't cry here, sis," she whispered. "You know I hate your stupid 'conceal, don't feel' thing, but you can't cry here, Elsa. We'll be fine." _I have to take care of Elsa. I have to._

"O-okay," Elsa mumbled almost inaudibly. She quickly wiped her face of emotions and just stared at her sister. "Better?" _I'm a master at hiding my emotions. I can do that. Anna is right. We can't show any weakness here._

Anna hated seeing Elsa do that poker face like she had done in the past, but she gently pulled Elsa to a sitting position and hugged her close. "For our current situation, yes," she whispered in Elsa's ear. _And I can still read you by looking at your eyes, Elsa,_ Anna thought.

* * *

Elsa was starting to feel a bit more like her usual self now, so she struggled to her feet and began taking in her surroundings. Elsa's head still ached, but not so much that she couldn't function. She stood up and grabbed at the wall just for insurance's sake. "Who is that?" Elsa asked, pointing at Luthor across the room.

Luthor heard Elsa's voice and didn't even turn around. "Hans, keep that girl knocked out, would you? I don't want to hear a peep out of her right now."

"Her stupid sister knocked _me_ out," Hans mumbled from the opposite end of the room. "That stuff sure packs a punch…"

"Then get your little sidekick sister to help you," Luthor said nonchalantly.

Elsa's head was spinning. She still felt wobbly on her feet and her powers felt as if they were all jumbled up in a discombobulated icy mess inside her, waiting to be released. Elsa was positive her aim would be less than desirable, to say the least. _Okay, Elsa, freeze their feet in place. That's so simple you could do it in your sleep, remember?_ She bit her lip and focused on her aim as best she could.

The ice went completely awry and backfired on both her and Anna. Elsa yelped in both pain and horror as she clasped her hands together close against her chest. _What did I just do?! I…can't control it? What happened?!_ While Elsa was immune to cold, she was definitely not immune to sharp ice shards.

Anna stared nervously at her sister and clutched her arm. _Elsa didn't do that on purpose. I know she didn't. She was purposely using her powers, but I know she didn't mean to hurt herself or me…what's wrong?_ She took one look at Elsa's stricken expression, noticed her sister was hurt, and promptly ran over to Luthor and shook him hard. "Where's the bathroom? And a first-aid kit? I promise I'm not trying any funny business-cross my heart!"

Luthor just stared at her in an unconcerned manner and said, "Ask that prince's sister."

Elsa heard that and just stared at Kiara, feeling betrayed. _I thought you were my friend, Kiara. Were you using me? To get my weaknesses revealed?_ "You're Hans's _sister_?" Elsa asked Kiara, wanting confirmation. Elsa would not cry. She wouldn't.

"By birth, yes," Kiara admitted. "Bathroom thataway. At the end of the submarine. There should be first-aid stuff in there too." She turned her back on the older girl and refused to look at her. _Snow Queen Elsa must hate me now. And I don't blame her. Well, if she hates me, then I may as well stick with Brother Drip's plan. I still have a chance with that to get back in good graces with my family. Right?_

* * *

The second Anna had helped her sister into the bathroom, she slammed the door shut and locked it. Elsa sat down on the one chair-why there was an actual chair in the bathroom she didn't know-and gingerly held her hands against her ribs. "Anna…I'm so sorry; I don't know what happened," she said quietly. "And no, take care of yourself first…it's my fault you cut your arm," Elsa added regretfully.

"Elsa, it hurts, but it isn't even bleeding anymore," Anna told her. She quickly rinsed her arm in the sink, just to please her sister; then went back over to Elsa. "Let me see, sis. You were already hurt there before, and then you somehow cut yourself with all that ice flying all over the place."

Elsa shook her head. "I, um…haven't got much on under my ice-dress," she admitted, her cheeks turning bright pink in embarrassment.

"Oh." Anna wasn't surprised; she was sure Elsa probably liked the cooling sensation of ice-fabric against her skin. "Well, um…here, wrap these around you however you like and then let me see the hurt spot," she said, handing her sister two towels she had found in a cabinet. "I'll turn my back, too, 'kay?"

Elsa kept her eyes glued on Anna to make sure she kept her back turned, even though she did trust her sister not to look at her. "Okay, ready," Elsa said a moment later. Elsa's ribs really did hurt, but she was determined not to let Anna know that so she wouldn't worry about her.

Anna frowned as Elsa let her look at the sore area. "Elsa…I'm no doctor, but you have some really nasty bruises there. And that long cut from the ice. Doesn't it hurt?"

"A little…" Elsa tried her best not to flinch when Anna touched her ribs. "So what do you prescribe, Doctor Anna?" she teased.

Anna scrunched her eyes shut, trying to remember anything that had happened to her when she was younger that matched what was wrong with Elsa now. _Out of all those times I crashed and burned somehow when I was little, you'd think I have_ some _experience that matches what's wrong with Elsa now._ "All right, I think I've got it. I fell out of a tree and got bruises like yours once, so…"

Elsa smiled, thinking that there was one good thing about her sister's clumsiness. _Anna probably knows exactly what to do for a bunch of different things, simply from personal experience._

* * *

"There. Is that better?" Anna asked after she had finished gently bandaging Elsa's ribs as best she could.

Elsa didn't say anything for a moment as she pulled her dress back on; it felt almost exactly the same to her. "It feels pretty much the same, maybe a bit better; but I'll trust your judgment since you probably know more about it than I do," she said finally. "Anna, I…I want to go _home_ ," Elsa whispered plaintively. _They're better equipped to handle me this time, and that scares me. And I still don't know exactly why we were taken._

Anna hugged her sister close. "We'll get home eventually. I know we will. We have each other, and that's all that matters," she whispered, feeling certain no one could hear her, but whispering all the same.

"And I thought Kiara was m-my friend," Elsa mumbled so quietly Anna could hardly hear her. Elsa looked down at the floor and refused to let herself cry. _I should have known. Why would anyone except my awesome little sister ever be my friend because they wanted to, not because they had to? Of course I'm nothing but a young girl who only garners respect because she's the queen of Arendelle. No one who doesn't_ need _me around wants me around…_

 _Rapunzel is your friend, Elsa,_ a little voice reminded her. _You know she is. It's okay. You don't need Kiara to like you or be your friend. You made friends with some of the children in Arendelle, too._

 _It still hurts._

 _That's normal, Elsa. Someone you thought was your friend betrayed you. It's not your fault._

"Oh, Elsa…" Anna personally wasn't particularly surprised at the revelation that Kiara was Hans's little sister, but she hated knowing that Elsa had considered Kiara a good friend and now Elsa was hurting inside because of the mysterious turnaround. Anna sat down in the chair and held Elsa tightly, letting Elsa bury her face in Anna's shoulder. _We need to come up with a plan. And quickly. If Elsa breaks down emotionally, not only will she be backtracking; it'll be harder for us to escape…_ She gently stroked Elsa's hair since she knew that helped Elsa feel better.

Elsa didn't move, but she whispered, "Anna, we have to get out of here. And if something happens that you have a chance to escape without me, you _must_ do it. Leave me behind. They'll use you to get me to do whatever it is they want me to do; I just know it…" _And I still have no idea what's going on in the first place._

"I will not leave you behind!" Anna whisper-screamed. "Elsa, I won't leave you with them, even if I could. You're still just one girl, even if you do have a built-in defense system. It's too dangerous in more ways than one."

Elsa wasn't listening. _Submarine…that means we're traveling underwater! I can breathe underwater because of that time Anna hit me with those temporary water powers…that weird metal platform I found at the bottom of the fjord awhile ago!_ Elsa was still thinking, having come up with the beginnings of a risky and daring idea that just might work when she heard angry banging on the bathroom door.

* * *

"You two get out of there. We've stopped," she heard Hans's voice say.

Elsa opened the door and practically flounced past him, knowing he was probably expecting her to start fighting with her powers, most likely. Elsa's powers still felt all jumbled inside her, although not as badly as earlier. _I don't trust myself to use my powers for anything right now. My ice will probably go awry again if I do. I must stall for now._ She whipped around when she heard the bathroom door slam before Anna could come out too. "Let my sister out!" Elsa demanded.

Hans ignored her and shoved her against the wall. "If you don't want that annoying sister of yours to die, you'd better cooperate."

"I'll freeze you solid," Elsa growled angrily. "Besides, you can't kill Anna. I _promise_ you I will give you the most slow and painful death I can think of if you do that. There is only _one_ Anna. She is worth everything to me, but you can only kill her once. Then you'll have let the icy monster you think I am anyway come to life. I _will_ unleash every single bit of ice inside me on you and your allies. I promise you that." _I know I'd do something awful and turn into a villain if something happened to Anna. I don't know how I know; I just do._

"You don't really believe you can do that, Elsa," Hans said patronizingly.

"That's Queen Elsa to you!" Elsa shouted back.

"Oh, come now, _Elsa_. You have no idea what defenses I have to use against you this time. I've had experience dealing with you now. That substance that knocked you out makes your ice feel mixed up inside, doesn't it? On a normal person, it would affect their blood, but it just affects your ice on you. Plus you're so tiny a small dose has an immediate effect on you."

Elsa suddenly felt terrified as she considered what sort of strange substance could possibly have an effect like that. She had no idea. _Keep your expression void of emotions, Elsa. You can feel scared inside. That's okay. Just don't let Hans know it._ "Do not call me by my given name," she spat out.

"Right, I forgot. You shouldn't _have_ a given name because you're a freak. Your parents should have gotten rid of you when you were a baby."

Elsa bit the inside of her lip hard to keep herself from crying. _That isn't true, Elsa. You know it isn't. Ignore him. Ignore, ignore, ignore._ "My mother loves me, Hans," she said quietly, her blue eyes flashing. Elsa winced when she felt a sharp jab in her ribs that sent pain radiating up and down her side. _No weakness, Elsa. No weakness. You're fine. It doesn't matter._

"I'll wager you probably have a fracture there."

 _No, I don't. It hurts but I know I don't._ Elsa decided not to share that information and simply asked, "Why does it make you happy to hurt people? Is it because you have nothing better to do?" She scowled when she felt an all-too-familiar sensation on her hand. "I can break metal, and you know it," Elsa said in annoyance.

"Go ahead and try," was the instant response.

Elsa tried to do the same thing she usually did to break metal and quickly withdrew her ice at the sudden painfully intense pressure on her hand. _That hurt! What kind of metal is this?! Obviously it contracts significantly when it gets colder, but…_ Elsa was scared, but she managed to keep her feelings from showing on her face.

"Mixed with ethylene ethyl acrylate, also known as EEA," Hans was only too happy to inform her.

Elsa had no idea what that was; all she knew was that whatever it was would not let her break loose. It contracted so much the second she dropped the temperature that she was positive she would crush her hand if she actually managed to drop the material's temperature enough to break it. Elsa's gaze flitted to the other shackle still in Hans's hand, and she instantly sent that one flying into a corner with an ice blast and froze it to the floor. _Stay on your toes, Elsa. You're going to need help getting your other hand free, but right now you still have half your defenses to use. Take advantage of it._ Without a word, she pinned Hans to the opposite wall with icicles and then turned her attention on Luthor.

"You freeze my gun, Hans shoots. You freeze his, I shoot," Luthor said.

Elsa bit her lip. _We're at a stalemate right now. They can't make a move without me freezing one of them. I can't make a move without one of them shooting me…wait a second. I know!_ She took a deep breath and willed her next shot of ice to split in two, disabling both of her enemies' weapons. Ice flew across the room, and Elsa's sneaky maneuver would have worked; but Luthor moved his gun out of Elsa's line of fire just in time.

* * *

Elsa realized that while her left hand was useless defense-wise at the moment, she was not chained to the floor. So she began edging over to the bathroom where Anna was locked in, keeping her eyes glued on Luthor. _I don't know where Luthor's gun is. I think I missed, but I'm not sure…_ "Anna, move away from the door," Elsa commanded. "Please."

"Don't do that, Elsa," Luthor called. "You have one hand to use. Are you going to freeze the door down and risk me shooting you?"

 _He won't do that. If he wanted me dead, he would have shot me the second I missed freezing his gun. You made a mistake, Luthor. You need me alive. Thanks for telling me._ In one swift motion, Elsa froze the door open and darted inside, slamming the door shut again. "Anna, follow my lead. I think I have a plan," she whispered. Elsa put an ice wall against the door and then began skewering ice through the wall, making a hole in the submarine large enough for the two of them to escape.

"Elsa, what is that on your hand?" Anna asked nervously.

"I can't get it off. Take a deep breath now. We're going to swim for it," Elsa replied quickly. She wiggled through the hole, happy to see that they were very close to the surface anyways, at most a foot underwater. Elsa reached back towards her sister and yanked her out too. Elsa was aware that this water was downright disgusting. It felt slimy and oily, and then Elsa realized a new danger. _Oil can be set on fire. And water doesn't help burn it out. I know it doesn't._ "Anna, we have to get out of here! Look!" Elsa pointed at the flames licking at oil only a few yards away. _I must have made a hole in something I shouldn't have on that submarine thing. Great. Not._

Anna gasped and stayed right next to her sister. "Elsa…what are we gonna do?!"

"Press forward. There's nothing else we can do." Elsa's expression remained neutral. She would not freak out now. She would help get the two of them to safety. "Anna, maybe I can freeze the oil in place. That will buy us more time. Go on alone. At least one of us will definitely be safe," Elsa added. "Go!" Elsa bit her lip and nearly screamed in surprise at the smoke gaining on the two of them. _Calm down. Stay calm, Elsa. You can do this._ Elsa began sending sheets of impenetrable ice across the water, but the dark smoke was making it hard for her to breathe and soon she was lying on top of her ice coughing and holding her ribs, unable to do anything else. _Elsa, you aren't safe here. Get yourself to shore. You know you're close._ What Elsa didn't know was that she was even closer to shore than she thought; if the smoke hadn't been there, she would have seen she was mere feet from solid ground.

* * *

Anna screamed Elsa's name over and over. "Elsa! Please! Where are you?! I need you!" She thought she caught a glimpse of sparkling blue and held her breath before running towards what she'd seen. Sure enough, there was Elsa lying on the ice only half-conscious. Anna scooped up her sister and staggered back to safety.

Elsa blinked painfully up at her sister. Her eyes felt burning and watery as she reached clumsily for Anna's hand. "You came...back…for me…" she said slowly, her voice sounding terribly raspy. _Anna saved me. I probably would have died from the smoke if she hadn't rescued me. Why didn't I just make an ice bubble?! Stupid, stupid, stupid…then again, that wouldn't purify the air properly either. That wouldn't have helped._

"Oh, Elsa, _why_ do you do things like that? You saved me, but you didn't help yourself," Anna scolded, clutching her sister close. "And of course I came back for you. You were in trouble! How could I not help you?!" Anna knew they had to get out of there quickly; they were in an unfamiliar place and she had no idea if Hans and Luthor were still after them or not. "Elsa, can you breathe all right?" she asked. Anna thought Elsa's breaths seemed to be mostly normal, but Elsa shuddered with each breath she took, like it was an immense struggle for her to do so.

"I…think…so…" Elsa managed to say. "We have…to go…home…" _If we escaped, Luthor and Hans probably did too…And I'm pretty much useless right now. I can hardly breathe properly…_ Elsa struggled unsuccessfully to sit up when she thought she sensed someone behind her. "An…Anna…" she tried to give the warning.

"Right here, Elsa," Anna said softly, thinking Elsa just needed a bit of reassurance at the moment.

"No…no…danger…" Elsa tried again, hoping Anna would get the message. Elsa's attempts to talk sent her into a fit of coughing, and she barely registered the sensation of something locking over her free hand. _Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Elsa, you were too slow. You lost. Neutralized in an instant just like that._

* * *

Too late, Anna realized just what Elsa had been trying to say. _Oh, great. Now what? Why is it that Elsa is almost completely helpless right now and she's the one that knew we were in danger?!_ Anna struggled to her feet, still holding Elsa. "I was hoping you dumb butts drowned," Anna spat. "And it's your fault about the stupid oil fire!"

"Your sister completely ruined the submarine," Luthor complained.

"Elsa wouldn't have blasted a hole in it if you hadn't kidnapped us in the first place!" Anna shouted. Anna felt herself shoved to her knees, but she did not drop her sister. "What was that for?!"

"You just remember who has the power here," Hans announced. "Because it's not her," he added, pointing at Elsa. "With Mr. Luthor's technological knowledge, it is simple to neutralize her ice now."

Elsa wiggled out of her sister's arms and stood up on her own, slightly leaning on Anna for support, although her intense gaze remained defiant. "You lost…your…submarine. You may…have…neutralized me…but it is…most definitely…not…simple." _I will not break down. I won't. I am going to get back home with Anna. I don't know exactly how or when, but we_ will _get home._ Just saying those few words left her coughing and taking shuddering breaths. Elsa was only too grateful for Anna standing next to her supporting most of her weight.

"What did you put on Elsa's hands anyway?" Anna asked.

"A special solid that contracts significantly when exposed to cold. She won't be able to break loose without crushing her hands, if it worked at all," Luthor explained.

Elsa was highly tempted to just brace herself for the pain and just free herself right this second-after all, Rapunzel could always heal her hands when she arrived home-but then she would be completely helpless all over again until she got home, and she also had no idea where they were at the moment, which meant she didn't know how to get back to Arendelle. _I wonder if that's what they're assuming I'd do…injure myself so Anna and I could run just so they could easily catch us again…reverse logic, perhaps? No, I can't do that. That's just stupid. I need to be smart about this. I can't use my hands for anything right now. Okay. So what am I supposed to do?_

Anna suddenly seemed to realize just what was going on. _They've used Elsa's own abilities against her. And without using her powers, Elsa is even less of a threat than I am…_ Without thinking further, she lashed out and began fighting with Hans, who promptly fought back.

Elsa stumbled over to Anna, afraid the man would hurt her sister. "Hans…take me…instead…don't hurt…Anna," she managed to say. _I know I'm the one you want, not her._ Elsa didn't quite understand when Hans put a gun to her forehead and then removed it a second later, saying he'd prefer her dead but that she was a pretty girl. "You…hate me…Hans," Elsa said in confusion. _Are you making fun of me? I think I hope so. That's creepy._

Anna quickly put two and two together and shoved Elsa away from Hans. "You will _not_ touch my sister. You will not hit her, pick her up, or anything else you're thinking of, you creep!" she ordered. _Poor Elsa doesn't even understand. I know she doesn't. She's crazy smart most of the time, but…good grief. I gotta help her._

"All right, you king wannabe, _I'll_ deal with the ice girl. You don't need her for your goals. I, on the other hand, do," Luthor commented. "I need her for carrying out a certain mission that I need her ice powers for."

Elsa's mind was reeling. She still felt confused about Hans's comment and Anna's reaction, and she wasn't sure why. _Anna sounded completely outraged. Even more so than her usual way she defends me. Wait a minute…_ Elsa suddenly felt absolutely sure why Anna was so angry, and the thought made her shudder. _Even Luthor just wants me for…for getting rid of Superman, I bet. So Hans doesn't need either me or Anna, but Luthor does. That's a good thing to know._ Elsa glanced at Kiara, who was standing a bit behind Hans and Luthor; and Kiara looked away, refusing to meet Elsa's gaze.

"Maybe you guys oughta let them go," Kiara muttered under her breath. "You could use my powers instead of Snow Queen Elsa's to capture Superman, Mr. Luthor."

"Your powers are not as potent as hers are, little girl," Luthor said.

Elsa stared at Kiara in surprise. _Kiara has powers?! There's someone else like me in the world?_ Elsa felt herself beginning to sway on her feet. She felt exhausted and ill, both from the smoke and whatever had knocked her out; and her ribs still hurt. _I just want to go home…_

 **A/N: Escape attempt epic fail.:/**

 **The origin of Kiara's powers will be explained in the next chapter.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	17. If At First You Don't Succeed,,,

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **Guest-Thank you:)**

 **Dragonheart35-It's not ALL pre-written, but I'm way, way ahead. Like several chapters ahead.:P That IS probably why there's odd chapter breaks.:/ Hopefully it's not too terribly annoying:)**

 **puppyfriend-Elsa and Anna will make it home eventually. Promise.:) Happy endings only, lol! We'll see a bit of what's going on in Arendelle in this chapter:)**

 **mctiffanygamingmc-Well, thank you!:) Here's the next chapter, and I don't care whether you're logged in or not when you leave a review.:) Why would I care? A review is a review!**

 **DodgersGirl-Yay!:) Well, I hope you feel better ASAP! That's okay if you can't reply to my PM at the moment. It's not your fault you're sick:)**

 **Mandy-That's 'cause they WERE awfully close to escaping.:/ Go ahead and use the idea; you came up with it in the first place.:) Hope you have a nice time on your trip!:) And here's the next chapter...:)**

 **Awesomewolf-Yep, failed escape attempt.:/ Now it will be harder to attempt to do so a second time, too... Well, we'll see a bit of Arendelle in this chapter.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

The next thing Elsa's mind registered was Anna holding her tightly and refusing to let go of her. "I won't leave her!" Anna shouted. _She's going to be terrified if she wakes up alone. Elsa won't be scared for her own safety, but she's going to want to know where I am. I know she will._

Elsa slowly blinked her eyes open, feeling completely disoriented and very confused. She didn't even have any idea of how much time had passed. _Where are we?_ Elsa quickly took in her surroundings. She was in a room that appeared to be a perfect cube. It was completely bare except for a panel of buttons in the corner on one wall. "I believe I have…the right to know…what this place is," she found herself saying.

"On the contrary, you do not have any rights here," Hans said.

"Neither do you," Luthor said to Hans. "You are not to touch anything."

Elsa frowned. _So Luthor and Hans aren't completely loyal to each other. Another good piece of information._ She struggled to her feet, looked down at her shackled hands, and nearly burst into tears. _I knew I'd still be 'neutralized', but that still hurts and it scares me. I'm nothing but a scared and helpless little girl if I can't defend myself with my powers._

"Take Anna to the next room," Luthor said to Hans.

Anna hugged Elsa close. "Idon'tknowwhat'sgoingonbutIamrightnextdoor. Isawit. We'reinabigcity," she whispered quickly in Elsa's ear. "Stay strong, Elsa."

 _Metropolis. Luthor's hideout,_ Elsa thought. "Will you _please_ let Anna stay?" Elsa asked. "Look, she can't free me. She doesn't have the keys." _They're going to say no. Why did I ask that?! Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

"No."

"How's she gonna eat?" Kiara piped up.

Elsa's cheeks flushed in anger. "I'll go on a hunger strike before I let somebody feed me," she spat out. _And I'll lay money on it that my willpower is stronger than any of yours._ Elsa stared daggers at all three of the people in cahoots with each other. She would _not_ break down, and she would _not_ put up with anything like that.

"You just do that," Luthor said, figuring Elsa was bluffing.

"Fine." Elsa's gaze didn't waver. _I do question how long I could last though…I don't have much weight on me I could lose. I'm a stick already…well, I'll just have to come up with an escape plan quickly then, won't I?_

* * *

IN ARENDELLE…

A week had passed since Elsa and Anna had gone missing. Rapunzel and her mother had left Arendelle immediately per Elsa's request she'd made to Rapunzel, but the Corona royal family decided to take action in trying to find the sisters as well anyways.

"Agdar, all we know is that the girls have been taken by that Prince Hans character; and that they're most likely in the United States," Idun said for the hundredth time. "How are we supposed to get our daughters back?! And it worries me that Elsa wasn't able to get at the very least herself away. What's happening to her and Anna? What if they're in physical danger somehow?"

"I doubt Elsa and Anna are actually…dead…that prince would not have bothered kidnapping them alive then," Agdar said logically. "We just need to locate them."

"Elsa's feelings are so sensitive…what if they hurt her inside or something? If this kidnapper has any sort of brains, they're going to attack her mentally and emotionally. Remember when we first arrived home? Elsa had broken her arm just over a week before, and it didn't affect her activities at all. She has a high physical pain tolerance, but she's easily hurt inside…" Idun's voice trailed off.

"Idun, remember Elsa's attitude for all those years. She was always perfectly fine. If someone has locked her up somewhere, I am quite sure she'll enlist 'conceal, don't feel'. That's just logical."

 _Always_ appeared _perfectly fine,_ Idun corrected in her head. "I hate to think of that poor girl doing that again…again because of a situation that isn't her fault. We must find her and Anna!"

"We'll send out search parties. We don't have the capability to track any sort of underwater mode of traveling, but we can try."

* * *

METROPOLIS-LUTHOR'S UNDERGROUND HIDEOUT

Elsa had lost track of time in the cube-shaped room, but she was fairly certain it had been over a week now. Maybe two…three? She had tried everything she could think of to free herself, but to no avail. Elsa knew that panel of buttons on one wall did different things to the room, but she couldn't quite reach it; the chains stopped her not more than about a foot away from it. Elsa jerked her attention away from the buttons when she heard a seemingly disembodied voice speaking directly to her.

"Your sister will come in a moment's time to free your hands. Do not attempt anything. Remember you have no knowledge of what other technological advances we have that could halt your escape attempt."

Elsa scowled in disgust and said nothing. _They could free me entirely and I still would have no idea how to escape. I don't know how to get out of the subways without getting run over. And I'm starving. Literally._

* * *

Sure enough, Anna came trotting in a minute later, much to Elsa's delight. She had been allowed to see Anna from a distance for a minute every so often, but Anna hadn't been allowed to actually talk to her. Anna hugged her sister tightly and immediately frowned. _Elsa's way too skinny. She was just slender before, not…skin and bones._ Anna could feel her sister's ribs right through her dress. "Elsa…you can't keep not eating," she whispered. "That dress doesn't even fit you properly anymore…"

Elsa knew her ice-dress had gotten rather roomy and hung loosely on her too-thin frame, but she was still stubborn and she was determined to win the 'battle of the wills', so to speak. _Wait a minute…water! I've been simply drinking water with a straw, which is why I haven't starved to death. Anna is about to free my hands. I can make water! That isn't 'suspicious'. No one knows that Anna will acquire temporary water powers if she drinks any water I make…_ "So thirsty," she commented the second her hands were free. Concentrating hard, Elsa created a 'glass' out of ice and filled it with water. To keep up the ruse, she took a sip herself and simultaneously sent a meaningful glance at Anna. _Please remember, Anna…please…_

"I said no funny business," Luthor's voice said. Then Kiara's voice commented, "She's drinking water. That's no big deal."

Anna realized what her sister was up to and quickly snatched the ice-glass and ran out of the cube room, guzzling the water as she went.

Elsa kept her expression neutral, but inside she was smirking, quite pleased with what she and Anna had done. _Anna is smart. She'll know what to do. I engraved a coded message on that ice glass._

"You are probably wondering what the reasoning behind that was," came Luthor's voice again. "Let me know when you are ready to help with my mission, Elsa."

Elsa made no response. _I don't care what you do to me; I will not help you._ She ran her bare fingers over the wall, which she instantly realized was made of the same material that those shackles had been made of. _Well, I'll give him credit that he didn't leave anything up to chance. I'm flattered that he thinks I am a formidable opponent._ Elsa nearly cracked up laughing when she felt the temperature in the room begin to plummet. _Is that all?! Good grief, that doesn't bother me at all anyways._ "Thank you for the pleasant temperature," she quipped.

"Care to repeat that?" came the voice again.

The temperature plummeted further.

Elsa stood in the center of the room with her hands on her hips, resisting the urge to start saying insults about how stupid this was. _Luthor must think I can't withstand temperatures below a certain point. I'll be fine unless it gets so cold the air liquefies. This is so dense and asinine…_

"You said she wouldn't be able to stand this!" Elsa heard Luthor say.

"How was I supposed to know she's such a freak she can withstand cryogenic temperatures?!" Hans exclaimed.

Now Elsa collapsed on the floor in laughter. _-187 degrees. Okay then. I'm in a cryocooler. That's creepy but really cool. In both ways. Pun intended._ Elsa felt so hungry, but right now she was so tickled with her innate ability to do absolutely nothing and be winning that it made her feel much better than she had in a long time. Not so lethargic and blah.

"Elsa's epic," she heard Anna say. "I could have told you she wouldn't mind that. You think you're abusing her, but I bet she feels quite comfortable."

"You're right, Anna! Thank you!" Elsa felt delighted that she was able to hear her sister's voice, but then she realized that there was probably something wrong if Anna was in the same place that the bad guys were.

A minute later, Elsa felt the temperature return to normal and then Luthor's voice saying that since that had had no effect on her, he would be there in a moment to replace those shackles and that she had better not do anything or Hans would kill Anna. _And I can't do anything because I don't even know exactly where Anna is. I have no way of knowing if they are bluffing or not. I'm helpless again, and they know it. They all know I'll put up with anything as long as it keeps Anna safe._ Elsa sighed and leaned against the wall. _It will take about twelve hours or so for Anna's water powers to kick in. We'll have about five days after that to actually escape before everything is for naught._

* * *

Hours later, Anna studied the letters Elsa had engraved in the ice-glass. _C.K. & L.L know S. A. 2 rescue. D.P. Shatter after decoding. _Anna sighed and held her sister's creation tightly. She was surprised Luthor hadn't taken it away from her, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. Anna had no idea what Elsa's cryptic message meant. _Elsa, your acronyms are too good of a code. I don't know what you mean! I know it's important; I know you wanted me to get the secret temporary water powers again. But what does your message mean?!_ One thing Anna had noticed was that Luthor, Hans, and Kiara completely ignored her most of the time. One of them brought her meals and that was it. Anna was positive the only reason they had bothered to take her along with Elsa was to use her to coerce Elsa into whatever it was they wanted Elsa for. _Which means if I can find my way out of here, I can potentially have hours' head start before they even realize I'm gone. But how can I leave Elsa?! She isn't eating and I'm afraid they'll hurt her, especially stupid Hans._

Anna's eyes went wide as she realized part of Elsa's message. _Anna to the rescue. And wait a minute…I know Luthor's hideout is in Metropolis! Elsa's 'S' stands for Superman I bet. Who knows Superman that Elsa and I would know of…? Those Daily Planet people that visited Arendelle a couple months ago! Oh Elsa, you're a genius. Perfect. So…'Clark Kent and Lois Lane know Superman. Anna to the rescue. Daily Planet. Shatter after decoding.'_ "Thanks, sis," she whispered. Anna hated to ruin Elsa's creation, but she quickly broke it into hundreds of pieces per Elsa's request. _Now no one can follow me. Good._

* * *

Elsa just sat silently with her knees pulled to her chest in the 'Cube Room', which was what Elsa privately called the room in her head. She wondered if it was really a perfect cube or if it just appeared that way. _I miss Arendelle. I know one thing that's good…I'm very used to being isolated in one room for an extended period of time. This can't break me down._ Elsa's thoughts abruptly turned to the voices she heard outside the cube room.

"Now Kiara, the only reason I really needed you was for your powers. You knew that," Hans said.

"I wasn't even born like this!" Kiara yelled. "It's your fault! Your fault, your fault, your fault! At least Snow Queen Elsa has always had hers. Hers are _supposed_ to be a part of her. Mine aren't!"

Elsa jumped to her feet when she both felt and heard crackling noises beneath her. She stomped her foot and instantly ice spread over the floor, protecting her from the now-highly charged floor. _What did Kiara do?! And I shouldn't have iced the floor. I didn't want them to know I have a weaker way to use my powers like that._ Elsa had known she could use her feet to produce ice, but she couldn't use that ability to free her hands. And it wasn't nearly as precise as when she used her hands, either. _I wonder if that's something I can improve…_

"I don't know why I bothered with you that day when you were five. You were a pain then too, and you didn't even have those electrical abilities of yours," Hans said.

"It was your idea to trick me into going outside with a metal pole in a thunderstorm! It's your fault our whole family doesn't approve of me!" Kiara retorted. She easily remembered that incident as if it were yesterday.

* * *

 _Six years ago…_

Five-year-old Kiara trotted up to the sibling closest to her own age, seventeen-year-old Hans, who was more often than not stuck babysitting her. With fourteen royal children in the Southern Isles castle-thirteen princes and one princess-the Westergaard siblings were far apart in age; the oldest ones were old enough to be the youngest's father. "Hans, play with me!" Kiara demanded. She had asked nicely the first several times, but after her brother had rudely dissed her over and over, she grew more insistent.

"It's bad enough I have to watch you. Go play by yourself, Kiara," Hans replied, lounging in a chair with a book he had been trying to finish for days.

"NO! I wanna play! I wanna play!" Kiara grabbed Hans's book and ran off. "Chase me!"

Hans scowled and easily grabbed the book back. "I'm trying to read. Go away, Kiara. Go, um…find a pole and touch the sky with it," he suggested, knowing such a venture would take hours for his sister to grow tired of and realize that it was impossible.

"Okay! Bye!" Kiara trotted off; then came back a moment later and dropped her favorite mud pie in her brother's lap. "Look what I made! You can hold it!" she exclaimed, as if it were a great honor to hold the mud pie.

"KIARA!"

Kiara came back a few minutes later with a long metal curtain rod she'd yanked out of a window. "I got one," she announced to Hans.

"Mmhmm, that's nice," Hans said absentmindedly, engrossed in his book.

Kiara ran out on the lawn and held the metal rod as high in the air as she could just as a loud crack of thunder sounded through the air. "It doesn't work, Hans!" the little girl shouted as rain poured down and soaked her all over.

Hans didn't respond until he heard a terrified scream a minute later. "What are you being all dramatic about now?" He glanced up from his book and saw his little sister lying in the grass. _Oh, crap. Kiara better be faking. But she wouldn't have faked a scream like that._ Hans sighed and ran over to Kiara. He hated watching his little sister all the time and thought she was a spoiled pain, but he didn't want her seriously hurt either.

Little Kiara just stared up at her brother in terror. "Somethin' burned me," she said. "A big crooked thing and bang! Storm lights!"

"Um…don't get up…" Hans said, not sure what to do. He was positive he would be in big trouble for Kiara getting hurt, and he was fairly certain she had been hit by lightning.

"Hold me," the little girl demanded. "Hurts! Make it go 'way!"

"I'm going to sneak you to the doctor," Hans said. "Just be quiet."

* * *

Kiara stayed quiet until the doctor wanted to look at the angry red burns on her shoulder and one foot. Then she screamed her head off until the doctor was finished.

"The princess is lucky. Those burns should heal fairly quickly, although they may leave scars. Also, there's something strange…I wouldn't mention it, but I swear there were sparks coming from her hands," the doctor told Hans. "You must tell your parents."

Kiara hopped about on one foot, trying to see her burns in the mirror. "I have storm lights inside," she announced quite seriously.

"My bratty little sister has otherworldly…powers?" Hans questioned. "That's ridiculous!"

"Prince Hans, I am a scientist, and I am logical at heart, but it is my personal opinion that Princess Kiara has been left with a strange phenomenon inside her rather than the usual serious symptoms of someone hit by lightning. Perhaps it will wear off with time."

Kiara happily plopped down in a chair and let tiny sparks dance between her hands while Hans scowled at her in disgust.

* * *

At first it was fun. Kiara loved playing with her newfound abilities, and eagerly showed her parents, much to her brother's chagrin. Kiara's father simply told her not to play with the 'storm lights' when there were guests, but that she could play with them as much as she liked otherwise. "I can't exactly tell others that my daughter was struck by lightning, little flash," he told her.

Kiara beamed. She loved her parents' pet name for her, especially now that it had two meanings-the way she raced around all the time, and the flashes of electricity she could make.

But as Kiara got older, she was told to stop playing around with her powers and that while it was cute when she was younger, she was too old for such things now. And Hans resented her to no end. He hated dealing with all the blame for what had happened, even though he knew deep inside that it was his own fault.

As just plain living grew worse and worse for Kiara, she grew angry and bitter and was very quick on both the defensive and the offensive. "My electrical abilities aren't my fault, but if I'm stuck with them, I should be able to use them," she insisted over and over. "Besides, people will know what happened anyway. There are lightning zigzag scars on my shoulder and foot," Kiara said when she was not quite eight. This wasn't exactly true; the marks didn't show even with her summer dresses, nor were they particularly noticeable anyway. But still!

Kiara grew farther and farther away from her family as time passed since everyone almost completely ignored her and never took care of her physical needs anymore. ' _Fix your attitude, Kiara.' 'Don't be so disagreeable.'_ And right before her eleventh birthday, she ran away to Arendelle. That was where she had witnessed Elsa's accidental winter. Kiara still admired Elsa, even now. She had nerves of steel. Kiara knew weeks had passed, and Elsa hadn't even come close to backing down on her refusal to let anyone else feed her because she couldn't use her hands. _Elsa must hate me now. I've seen those expressions she makes. And I probably disappointed her too. Well, if I've already disappointed her, it doesn't matter what I do…_

* * *

In the cube room, Elsa dearly wished she could just _talk_ to Kiara. Even if Kiara had betrayed her, Elsa felt that she could probably help the girl deal with her abilities. _Kiara isn't scared of her powers like I was, and she wasn't born with them. She's angry and…and I don't think I blame her._ Another little voice in Elsa's head said, _That girl betrayed you. She's been horrible to you because she switched sides. How could you ever trust her? Why would you want to try to help her?!_ "'Cause I know what it feels like to have your own family disapprove of you," Elsa whispered. Elsa bit her lip as she just stayed sitting with her knees pulled to her chest against the wall. _I wonder what it would have been like if my parents actually…loved and took care of me after the accident…_

 _Eight-year-old Elsa sat on the horse in front of her father on the way home from the trolls. "Elsa, I've been thinking…what exactly happened in the ballroom while you two were playing?" Agdar asked._

 _"I…I was making snow piles for Anna and she kept jumping from one to th' other so fast and I couldn't keep up and I shouted at her to slow down and…" Little Elsa scrunched her shut, trying to keep her tears from running down her cheeks as she remembered seeing her little sister lying unconscious on the ice._

 _"And Anna didn't pay attention, so she fell?" Agdar asked._

 _"But I hit her! Anna wasn't paying attention, but I'm still the one that hit her!" Elsa cried._

 _When the family arrived home, both sisters were carried inside. "Elsa, I think it will be best at present for you to move to your own room. You can still talk to Anna, but no ice magic until she's older and knows how to be more careful. You can't tell her about your abilities right now. Not yet. If you can't control it when you're with your sister, then just wear gloves while you play with her."_

 _Elsa looked up at her father and considered this for a minute. "What if I can't keep my magic in all the time? I might not be strong enough…"_

 _Agdar picked up the eight-year-old and held her close. "No, snowflake, we do not want you keeping your abilities inside you all the time. You'll explode! You can play with them whenever you're by yourself. Just don't show Anna. When she's older, then you can."_

 _"Papa, why'd you and Mama keep a little girl baby that wasn't born right? I look funny. I hurt Anna." Little Elsa pulled her platinum braid over her shoulder and began fiddling nervously with it. "Do you wanna get rid of me and just keep Anna?"_

 _"Elsa! Certainly not. We kept you because you're our little girl! You may have a unique look about you, but you don't 'look funny', silly girl. That accident was just that-an accident. We want to keep both of you, Anna_ and _Elsa. I love you."_

In the present-day, Elsa rested her forehead on her crossed arms, trying to hide the tears running down her cheeks. How she wished that was what really happened when she was little! _You're crazy, Elsa. Quit daydreaming._ With nothing to do to pass the time, she daydreamed often, but this was the first-and she was determined it would be the only-time she had made herself cry. Elsa bit her lip, _hard_. "Stop it. Right now," she ordered herself. _The past is in the past. The past is in the past. I can't change it. It doesn't matter. And I know Mom genuinely cares about me now. I know she does. It's just Dad that doesn't like or approve of me._

* * *

Anna had made it out of Luthor's hideout, but now she was in a subway station and had no idea how to get out. "Excuse me, sir," she asked someone. "Can you show me how to get out of here?"

"What are you, a costume actress? You know the way out!"

Anna sighed as the man walked off. _Everyone thinks I'm kidding! My dress must be making me stick out like a sore thumb…_ She spotted a flight of stairs and ran up them to find herself standing on a busy sidewalk in Metropolis. "All right, I made it out of there. Now I gotta find the Daily Planet building," she muttered to herself. Anna was glad she had taken some money she'd stolen from one of Luthor's "secret" hiding places. (She had known where the hiding place was because she had watched Luthor put money in it when he'd thought she wasn't there.) _I need different clothes. Lots of girls have strawberry blonde/red hair and freckles, but they aren't wearing dresses like mine._ Anna spotted a clothing store right across the street and grinned. _Ok, Luthor and dumb Hans, I dare you to identify me in a few minutes._

Anna glanced at herself in a store mirror a few minutes later, satisfied with her transformation from Arendelle princess to average U.S. teenage girl. She was wearing a green long-sleeve top and a pair of jeans. _Elsa's going to have a fit if she sees me wearing this. But Luthor and Hans won't think that I'd wear this outfit, either. So they may actually see me and pass me by simply because of what I'm wearing. Awesome._ As a final touch to her 'disguise', she undid her signature pigtail braids and put her hair in a ponytail instead. "Perfect. I dare them to recognize me now," she said to herself. _Now to find the Daily Planet building. All right, let's go._

* * *

"Where is your sister?" Hans demanded for the fourth time.

Elsa stood tall and stared him right in the face. "For the fourth time, I don't know," she replied flatly. _That's the truth too. I have no idea_ exactly _where she is. I_ hope _Anna found the Daily Planet building._ She dodged to the side to avoid being slapped in the face. _Well, okay, I have an idea of where she is…but still! I will not tell him anything._

"You're really asking for it. Where is she?!"

"For the fifth time, I don't know," Elsa said in that same flat tone. _Stay strong, Elsa. Don't show that you're scared. It's okay to be scared. Just don't let him know you are._ Elsa wasn't sure why, but she hated that look in Hans's eyes. It made chills crawl up her back.

"You do too know where she is. You're just refusing to tell me," Hans said.

Elsa bit back a yelp when Hans roughly yanked on her chains, causing her to fall to her knees. She forced herself back to her feet and stared him straight in the face, ignoring her burning wrists. "Even if I knew where Anna was, I would never tell you," she spat out. _You can't make me. You think I have no willpower, but I do. So there. You can't break me down._

"I've found her sister," Luthor said nonchalantly from the doorway. "What are you doing? I told you to leave the ice girl alone. She's my business, not yours. Go call your idiotic little minions over in Arendelle."

Elsa suddenly felt certain that Luthor was lying about Anna, and also very, very grateful that he had appeared right then. She was genuinely terrified of what Hans could have done to her even though she didn't want to admit it. He creeped her out. "I'd like to see my sister, please," she found herself saying.

"Certainly," Luthor said.

Elsa watched as one wall of the cube room slid up, revealing the room beyond. There was Anna eating at a small table. But Elsa was somehow certain it wasn't really her sister. It looked too…repetitive. Anna did the exact same series of movements over and over. Elsa decided not to reveal her knowledge and simply said thank you. _That's not Anna. It's some technology thing. That means Anna successfully escaped. Good._

 **A/N: Escape mission: take two is underway.:) Let's see if it works this time.:P**

 **Yes, Elsa is completely immune to being inside a cryocooler. She can produce those temperatures, so she must be immune to them as well.;) (My headcanon is that Elsa can withstand intense sub-zero temperatures until the air liquefies. Then, and only then, would she be in trouble, 'cause she wouldn't be able to breathe. And as long as Elsa's hands were free, she could always raise the temperature around her to a more comfortable level.:))**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	18. ,,,Try, Try Again

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **raven678-Thank you:)**

 **Guest-Thank you:) PS Totally fine:) I'd probably say it more than once too.:P I'm glad you're feeling better:)**

 **PrincessRiley-Well, that will be revealed in this chapter:) PS Okay, cool! I can't help thinking of Riley from Inside Out as a princess...:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Thank you!:) Elsa's daydream "flashback" for when she's little kind of IS what should have happened, though...:/ That's the sad part.:P Lol, I just thought Elsa deserved a reason to laugh at this point in the Of course being in a cryocooler doesn't bother her- she's the Snow Queen!;) When you wrote the part about Luthor and Hans giving villains a bad name, I cracked up laughing XD**

 **jocelyncorbin17-I'm glad you liked it!:)**

 **Mandy-Yay my chapter title was good:) (I always have trouble coming up with chapter titles...:P) I wouldn't care-you could just credit the portion of the idea that wasn't yours.:) Lol, I thought Anna finding her way out of the subways was funny too.:P I'm glad you liked Elsa's secret code! It took me a while to make it up, lol...:P Well, it's my headcanon that it is IMPOSSIBLE for Elsa to lose her powers. Period. If she's hurt or knocked out, then no she can't use them, but they're still there. Those shackles don't physically 'halt' Elsa's ice; she just can't get them off because the material contracts when it gets cold. (I remembered in one of my science classes that certain substances contract more under cold temperatures than others, and I'm 99.999% sure EEA (ethylene ethyl acrylate) is one of them. So that isn't some random name I made up.:P) Elsa will be fine inside-this is where it becomes more obvious that she visibly gets nervous only around her father. I mean, it's not the same thing now as when Agdar put her in the castle dungeon when she was 17 and 18. Hans and Luthor aren't people she wants to approve and care about her; she doesn't care if they don't like her. I'm not mad at you at all; why would I be?:) Lol, don't worry about the reviews. I love getting them but I'm not going to be like 'WHY ISN'T MANDY REVIEWING?!' when I know full well she's on a trip.;)**

 **WarriorQueen 14-I think Anna does have brains in her head-right now she's on a mission to get both herself and Elsa to safety. So she's doing smart things like getting a change of clothes so she will be harder to find.:) Yep, Elsa's fine, at least mentally and emotionally...she's just really really hungry at the moment.:P I thought Elsa deserved a reason to laugh at this point in the story; I mean, being somewhere where it's -187 degrees is quite comfortable to her.;) No, Kiara isn't being completely fair to Hans...I agree. Hans didn't purposely try to give her powers; he was just being a terrible babysitter.:P [Like I said before (I think anyways), I'm NOT redeeming Hans because I personally think it's impossible. But I don't think his family was 100% fair to him when he was younger either. In my headcanon anyways.:P Basically contrast Hans's and Kiara's sibling relationship with Elsa's and Anna's.:/] Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, actually:P Right now, let's just say the Westergaard siblings' mother was hoping for a girl. Just one girl. (You know, since she already had thirteen boys...) When I come up with a better explanation, I'll make sure to tell you, lol.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

IN ARENDELLE…

"I know you've sent out numerous search parties for Elsa and Anna with absolutely no results, but I believe there's a quicker way to locate them," Kristoff told the girls' parents. "Elsa's snowman Olaf can locate Anna…and if my hunch is correct, the snowgirl, Rania, can probably locate Elsa as well." Kristoff wished Olaf had told him that ages ago, but the scatter-minded little snowman had just randomly told him that information that very morning.

"I don't want to employ live snow creatures to find my daughters!" Agdar exclaimed. "It's beyond me how Elsa makes those things anyway. Very unnerving and creepy."

Kristoff sighed. "Sir, I know you hate Elsa's powers and don't approve of her, but I also know you at least want Anna back home safe. Olaf can help. He knows how to locate her."

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Bjorgman!" Agdar said in an insulted tone. "Are you implying I don't care what happens to Elsa?"

"Yes," Kristoff replied simply. "You break Elsa's spirit every time you're around her. You try to change her into something she's not. Elsa had full rights to throw you out of the castle for what you did to her when you returned to Arendelle. Instead she forgave you and just wanted to start new. You shot down the one thing she wanted from you. In fact, I bet the only reason she refused to abdicate was because she was scared you'd toss her in the dungeon for nothing again!" Kristoff paused for a moment, thinking this sort of thing was why he did not care for hanging around people much of the time. "Whether you want both your daughters back or not, I want to see my fiancée and her older sister back home safe. I love Anna, and Elsa is like a smart older sister to me, even though she's about the same age. Bossy but sweet and a bit fun-loving and childish once she lets you see past her regal, dignified queen demeanor. If you don't approve of sending Olaf with the next search party, I will go myself. Alone."

"King Regent Agdar, there are enemy ships from Weselton in the fjord!" Kai shouted.

* * *

METROPOLIS…

After hours of searching and asking for directions, Anna located the Daily Planet building only to find that both Lois Lane and Clark Kent were out at the moment. "Can I leave a note for Mr. Kent to give Superman?" she asked finally.

"Yep. But it might take a little while for Mr. Kent or Superman to get back to you. You got a phone number?"

Anna sighed and scowled at Jimmy Olsen. "I don't have a phone." _Although I do know what a phone is…and that's not helpful._ She scribbled down a note that simply said _The royals from Arendelle need Superman's help. Please tell him to come to L.L.'s subway place ASAP. Thanks in advance, A._ and handed it to Jimmy, who said he'd leave it on Mr. Kent's desk in his office. Anna said a quick thank-you and ran out of the building. _I gotta go back to Elsa. If they found out I'm gone, they'll hurt her trying to find out where I went._ She ducked into an empty alley and tested her temporary abilities over water. "All right, I'm ready. I'm coming for you, Elsa," Anna whispered. "Thanks for your help." _I don't remember how to get back! Think...think...well, I have to try. For Elsa._

Anna didn't know the note never made it into the office and that it was dropped and lost.

* * *

Elsa just lay on the floor in the cube room, feeling downright awful. "If you'll just say where your sister has gone, I shall bring you some water," she heard Luthor say. Elsa didn't even react. The ruse that she didn't realize that the 'hologram video Anna' wasn't real had been broken when the machine malfunctioned in front of her. _Luthor, I'm not telling you anything. You can't force me._ Elsa thought it had probably been at least twenty-four hours since she'd had any water, and that coupled with no food for so long left her weak and listless. _I could lie though. Then he still wouldn't know where Anna went at all, and I would get some water. But then the second he realizes I'm lying, there's no telling what would happen to me…I don't know…_

What made Elsa move finally was the faint sound of rushing water from somewhere. _Has Anna come back?! Maybe I'm just imagining things because I'm so thirsty…_ Elsa knew she wasn't in complete control of her senses, and so she wasn't sure what to think. A scream that was unmistakably Anna's made Elsa bolt upright, despite her dizziness and weakness.

"Elsa! ELSA! Help!" Anna screamed. _Elsa's stuck chained in that stupid cube room. Why am I yelling for her?! I was supposed to be coming back to help_ her _, not the other way around!_

Elsa forced herself to her feet as the floor seemed to tilt and spin around her. "An-Anna…" Elsa's voice came out as a faint whisper. _Come on, Elsa, try again. At least divert the attention to you instead of her. You can do that. Fake that you're escaping. That might work._ "Anna! Anna, I-I'm…I'm coming!" she shouted in a hoarse voice. A second later the wall slid up revealing the room beyond and the precarious situation taking place. Elsa's blue eyes went wide.

There was Kiara looking rather guilty, but doing something with her powers that kept Anna within a certain area. There was Anna trying to shoot water to escape from the spherical force field surrounding her. (This was not working.) And there was Luthor standing with his arms crossed. "Now do as I told you," Luthor said. "You are to listen to me until your stupid brother comes back, Kiara."

Luthor turned to Elsa. "The girl will shock your sister if you do not agree to help me in ten seconds."

Elsa glanced from Anna to Kiara to Luthor to her own shackled hands and back to Anna again. _What am I supposed to do?!_

"Ten, nine, eight…"

 _I can't do a thing! I can't help Luthor get rid of Superman. That's wrong. I can't let him allow Kiara to hurt Anna either!_ Elsa's eyes flitted to the chains bolting her to the floor. _Those chains aren't the same material as the actual shackles are; they're normal metal. I know they are. There's one thing I can do. But…_

"…five, four, three…"

 _I don't care. Anna isn't important to them; they'll let her go if I'm out of the picture. Ice powers, please,_ please _be strong enough…_ Elsa made her decision. She gave Anna one final regretful glance and then bit her lip as she stomped as hard as she could on the chains fastening her to the floor, sending ice flowing through the metal. _Those chains are normal metal, not that strange solid that won't let me break loose. Normal metal. I can do this. One last thing for Anna._ Elsa scrunched her eyes shut and flung herself in front of her sister just as Kiara let loose a blast of electricity. _Goodbye, Anna…I love you…_ All Elsa's conscious thought disappeared, and she knew no more.

* * *

Anna had realized what Elsa was going to do a second too late. _Elsa just willingly put herself directly in the path of who knows how much electricity. Why did she do that?! Elsa…Elsa's…dead. Nobody can survive getting an extreme amount of electricity in them like that, can they? My sister! I hate Kiara! I want Elsa back!_

Luthor subtly skittered away, knowing Kiara would be livid once she realized she had shocked Elsa instead of Anna. And Kiara just stared in horror at what she had done.

Elsa had felt a searing heat in her back a millisecond before crumpling to the floor unconscious. She slowly blinked her eyes open in confusion seconds later, feeling puzzled as to what just happened. _I'm not dead? No, there's Anna. A very angry Anna…_ Elsa was suddenly aware of the two angry voices arguing above her. _Oh. I remember now. Kiara shocked me instead of Anna. At least Anna is safe. Anna is safe._

"Look what you did!" Anna screamed. "You shocked Elsa! You prob'ly killed her! Fix my sister!"

"I was aiming for you, not her! It's not my fault Elsa put herself in my line of fire like that!" Kiara screeched.

"You shouldn't have been working with your idiotic horrid brother in the first place! He doesn't care about you!"

"You don't like me either, Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

" _You hurt my sister!"_

Elsa struggled to sit up in an effort to make it clear to both of the other two girls that no, she was not dead. "An…Anna?" she questioned. _There's something wrong with me. I feel really…weird. Not just from being hungry and thirsty, either…_ "I love you, Anna…"

Anna promptly tried to help Elsa to stand up, but Elsa just collapsed to the floor again. "Elsa…are you all right?" she whispered worriedly.

Elsa suddenly felt terrified as she tried to stand up again. _My legs aren't working right. I thought I couldn't stand up because I was just too weak or something, but that's not it. Kiara's electrical shock must have done something to me..._ "Anna, I…I can't," she said finally. "I can't…can't feel my legs. They're not…not working for some reason…"

Anna tried to just pick Elsa up and set her on her feet, but Elsa's legs buckled under her and refused to support any of her weight. "Elsa, please. You mean you just feel too weak to stand up, right?" Anna asked, not wanting to accept what her sister had told her. _Elsa just needs to get some food and water in her, right? She'll be all right. I just gotta get her out of here._

Elsa shook her head, the truth of what she had just said really sinking into her own mind. "No, Anna…I'm sorry," she whispered. "They're just plain not working. I can't…feel them at all…Maybe it'll go away?" _What are you talking about, Elsa? The chances of that are essentially nil…that kind of injury doesn't just go away, does it? I don't think so... But you did save Anna. You saved Anna. You did something good. You did the right thing._ Elsa's blue eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them away. "I saved you, Anna…I saved you….I saved Anna," Elsa repeated over and over.

"Elsa…I'm going to get you out of here," Anna whispered in her sister's ear. "Stay here. I'm almost a hundred percent sure I know where the keys are to free your hands."

Elsa gave her sister a lopsided smile. "I'll stay here. I can't very well follow you," she said softly. Elsa slowly dragged herself over to the sobbing girl in the corner the second Anna was gone. _This is stupid, Elsa. She just shocked you. Aren't you afraid she's just going to hurt you again?_

 _Yes, but Kiara is upset. She needs someone to be nice to her. And I can do that. I know I can._ Elsa felt wary of the younger girl, helpless as she was to do anything to defend herself should Kiara turn on her. She couldn't run; she couldn't use her hands, not until Anna freed them. But some tiny instinct inside Elsa was sure that Kiara needed someone to talk to and that she was not going to try to hurt Elsa all over again. "Kiara?" Elsa said hesitantly.

Kiara looked up at Elsa, her face streaked with angry and guilty tears. _Why is she even talking to me?!_ "The only good thing is that I didn't kill you," she muttered. "I was so _stupid…_ my brother tricked me. And no wonder my whole family hates me. Look what I did to you! You were the only person that was willing to be my friend, and I didn't even trust you enough to tell you about my stupid powers before. I thought Hans told me the truth, but he didn't. He just lied to me so he could use me to help him with his plans…"

"Kiara, I know Hans is your brother, but he's very conniving. He easily fools people. It's more his fault than yours," Elsa said quietly. "Also Luthor was the one who told you to shock Anna, not your brother. And…I know how it feels to have your family disapprove of you. It _hurts_ …Yes, I heard you shouting at Hans that one time," she added when Kiara looked at her incredulously. _Why am I trying to comfort Kiara? I don't even know…I just think it's the right thing to do._

* * *

Anna ran back into the room and scowled when she saw Kiara next to her sister. "You get away from Elsa. Didn't you hurt her enough already? Or are you just trying to really kill her this time?"

Kiara scowled back and didn't move. "Snow Queen Elsa came over to me on her own. And I didn't mean to hurt her." Although Kiara's words sounded completely uncaring as to what she had done, she felt terribly guilty inside. _I seriously injured Elsa and then she still wanted to talk to me…_

"Liar. Elsa can't even walk because of what _you_ did to her!" Anna shouted. She knelt next to Elsa and quickly unlocked her shackles with the key she'd found. "Elsa…your wrists are all torn up…" _I gotta get Elsa taken care of. ASAP._

"Anna, Kiara isn't lying," Elsa said softly. "I just…very awkwardly dragged myself across the room, that's all." She winced as she looked down at her wrists. Elsa's pale skin all around her wrists was raw and blistered from those shackles being on her for so long. _That stings…_

Anna scooped her sister up, remembering that they needed to get out of the underground hideout as soon as possible. She had flooded part of the subway area and knew it would be gushing through the walls any second now. "I'm going to get you home," Anna whispered. "This place is going to flood in seconds." _Elsa is so light. She wasn't heavy before, but now it's like she's…a feather, she's so light…_

Elsa looked back at Kiara. "Anna…wait. I'm not leaving Kiara down here. She's coming with us," she said firmly. "I'm _so_ thirsty…"

Kiara shook her head. "What're you gonna do with me? Just leave me here, Snow Queen Elsa…" she muttered.

 _If Kiara wasn't born with her powers, I bet the trolls could remove them for her if she really wanted them gone…_ "Kiara, I know someone who might be able to help you get rid of your powers if you weren't born with them," Elsa told her. "Please. I can't leave you here to drown. You'll die."

"What do you care?"

"I'm not…your brother, Kiara. If I wanted you dead, I would freeze…you where you…stand right this second. Now come on!" Elsa ordered, but not meanly. _I don't even know why I care so much about this girl. I'm most likely permanently injured because of her…_

Kiara believed Elsa, but she still didn't budge. "I don't deserve your care," she mumbled.

"No, you don't, but Elsa cares about you all the same. She's still your friend for some reason," Anna put in. "Kiara, come on. We're all going to be dead if we don't leave right this second!"

"Kiara, please," Elsa said weakly from Anna's arms. "You've been…misguided, that's all. You've joined the…wrong people, but you can…change that…" _I'm thirsty…so, so thirsty…_

"Would it help if I helped you take back Arendelle? I know part of my brother's plan," Kiara offered. "Not all of it, but part of it…"

"Great, come on!" Anna shouted just as water began pouring through a large hole in a wall. "Elsa, please hold on to me as much as you can," she said softly to her sister. "I'm going to hold you, but still…just in case."

Elsa nodded and wrapped her arms around Anna's neck tightly. _I can hold on to Anna. That I can do._ "Wait, Anna! I…I can help!" Without waiting for a reply, Elsa froze over the hole in the wall. "I'm positive it's not…impenetrable, but it'll hold for a little while…"

Anna frowned when Elsa went completely limp in her arms. _I gotta get me and Elsa and dumb Kiara out of here. I'll find something for Elsa to eat and drink the second we're out of here._ "Kiara, just follow me!"

* * *

When the three girls were finally safely out of the subways, they were soaking wet. Anna had nearly lost Elsa once underground; luckily Elsa still had that ability to breathe underwater or she would probably have been a goner. "Kiara, I hate to admit it, but thanks for helping me get Elsa out of there," Anna said grudgingly.

"I still owe Elsa a zillion times over," Kiara said flatly. "We need to get her to eat and drink something. I don't think Snow Queen Elsa drank any water for about a day and a half or so."

"My guess was…twenty-four hours," Elsa said so quietly the other two girls could hardly hear her. _Where am I? Oh…oh yeah. Anna got me out of there. We have to get home to Arendelle. And what on earth is Anna wearing?!_

Kiara frowned and then brightened a bit when she spotted a restaurant less than a block away. "We can go there," she said, pointing.

"Are you seriously that stupid?! Elsa isn't even strong enough to sit up at the moment and she can't walk. We can't take her in there!" Anna exclaimed.

"If it's not…too embarrassing, you could…just carry me," Elsa suggested. _I just want something to drink. I'm so thirsty…I want some water…_

"Elsa, it's not that. I doubt you want people identifying us right now. We're a mess. And you're seriously hurt whether you admit it or not. I don't know what to do with you…" Anna clutched her sister tightly. _Well, Elsa isn't dead. I have her right here with me. She's safe now._

Elsa watched Kiara dash off in silence. _Did I misread her? What is she doing? And wait a second…_ Elsa made a small cup out of ice and poked Anna with it. "Water?" she asked. _I don't feel strong enough to attempt making water right now, but Anna can make water right now. That would make me feel better._

Anna quickly filled the small ice-cup with water. "I'm sorry, Elsa-I should've thought of that!"

Elsa drank greedily. "Thank you, Anna," she said a minute later. The cool water instantly soothed Elsa's parched throat and made her feel much better. Sure, she still felt hungry, but that wasn't nearly as bad as being so thirsty. "Why are you wearing that horrible outfit?" Elsa asked teasingly. "Such indecency!" _Actually, I think Anna's U.S. outfit is rather nice. I like it. It's just completely horrible by Arendelle standards!_

 _Elsa must be feeling better if she's teasing me and making jokes. That's good._ "It was my disguise to keep from being recognized, you stinker!" Anna exclaimed, half giggling. "And I love you, Elsa…I'm so, _so_ glad I got you out of there. Although you helped and launched the whole escape in the first place." Anna smiled, noticing Elsa's eyes already looked brighter and that she seemed far more alert. She refilled the cup for Elsa and watched as her sister sipped it more slowly this time, savoring every drop. _Well, at least Elsa got some water in her. Now we have to find her something to eat._ Anna shifted her sister in her arms and began walking towards Kiara when she saw the younger girl running toward her.

"I got us some pizza," Kiara announced. "There's a table right outside that pizza place. If we help Elsa, I don't think anybody'll know what happened. And Elsa, we oughta take you to the hospital or something…"

Elsa shook her head firmly. "I don't want to. I want to go home." She smiled a little as Anna settled her in a chair and made sure to sit close enough herself so that Elsa could lean on Anna if she needed to since she wasn't very stable sitting up on her own. "Thank you…" _I hate feeling this helpless, but I'm still grateful for Anna taking care of me._

* * *

Elsa ate only one piece of pizza before feeling full. "You two can have the rest. I'm full," she said. "But thank you so much. I feel much, much better now." _And that's the truth. The only things wrong with me now are my stupid legs. And I feel…weaker inside power-wise than normal me does. But that's to be expected, I guess. I just need a bit of time to start eating and drinking regularly again._

"So, my brother's plan," Kiara said. "I promised to help, so…yeah. He's got doppelgangers of your all's parents in charge right now, and they're super confused because Weaseltown invaded right before that. I think your real parents are being held in the dungeon. Hans intended to fake the doppelgangers' deaths by having them become 'ill', but the invasion thing messed everything up. So yeah, that's what I know." Kiara paused for a moment before continuing, "Also all the Arendelle citizens evidently want you back, Snow Queen Elsa. I'm willing to help…I know I don't deserve your trust, but I promise I won't betray you again all the same. I promise." _Elsa is my real friend. Not Hans. I hurt Elsa badly and she's not even angry with me…_

Elsa's mind instantly began racing. _I doubt my country's citizens would want me on the throne in the condition I'm in. But if there are faux versions of my parents in charge at the moment, Arendelle is being fooled as a whole. How did they infiltrate the castle with my real parents still there?! So there are my real parents there-in the dungeon-and faux versions of them-in charge. Great. Not. And Weselton…Arendelle has no large military force. They'll take over very quickly. There are two big problems here…_ "As of this moment, I have no plan, but I do know we have one small advantage. We don't look threatening, so everyone will underestimate us," Elsa said.

"You think three girls can retake a whole country?!" Kiara exclaimed in surprise.

"Kiara, we have things they don't have," Elsa explained. "We have powers. Water, electricity, and ice ones. Quite diverse, wouldn't you say?" _And we have less than three days to do it. Anna's powers will fade, and I'm not strong enough to make more water right now. Water is difficult for me to make even when I'm completely fine._

Anna grinned and then made a face a moment later. "There's just one problem. Elsa, you can't walk…you're gonna be stuck in one place if we get separated…"

"Should that happen, I'll make an ice bubble. I might not be able to leave the situation, but I'll be safe. Also I think I have a way to maneuver about. My air currents." Elsa smiled. That would work. She wouldn't be able to fight _and_ move about at the same time since she needed both hands to 'fly', but it would certainly help. _Of course, if I could just…walk, this wouldn't be a problem at all…Elsa, stop it. You are not going to feel sorry for yourself. You don't even know if it's permanent or not. Maybe it's temporary._

Anna noticed her sister's upset expression and quickly hugged her close, nearly knocking Elsa off balance. _Elsa may not be saying anything about it, but what happened is bothering her. And I don't blame her._ "I don't wanna say 'it's ok; it doesn't matter' because I know it does too matter to you, but I love you, Elsa. And that's never going to change whether you're permanently hurt or not."

Kiara felt rotten. _Elsa better not be permanently injured. That's completely, totally my fault. And she isn't even mad at me! She just seems upset about it._ "I'm sorry, Elsa," Kiara apologized, gazing intently at her empty plate.

Elsa gestured for the younger girl to come over to her and Anna's side of the table. She kept one arm around Anna and hugged Kiara with the other. "I forgive you, Kiara," Elsa said quietly. "I'm not going to say I don't care and that it's totally okay because quite frankly it scares me that I try to move and my legs just plain don't respond. But I'm not angry." _That's the truth. I'm not angry with Kiara. Honestly I blame Hans for this more than Kiara. She was brainwashed._

Anna pulled Elsa away from Kiara and just wrapped her arms protectively around her sister as she scowled at Kiara. "Well, I think what you did was horrible! I hate seeing Elsa upset or scared, and now she feels like that because her legs don't work all 'cause you hurt her!"

"Anna, stop it," Elsa said softly. "It happened. It's done. Being angry at Kiara isn't going to fix me. You know that. We need to work together to get Arendelle back, all right?" _If we start turning on one another, it's hopeless. But I know we can retake Arendelle if we work together._ "Come on, we're the superpower trio girls!" Elsa teased. "We can do this. I know we can."

Kiara and Anna exchanged a glance and held out their hands, one on top of the other. "We're in. Mad at each other, but we're in."

Elsa put her own hand on top of her allies' hands and gave them a confident smile. _We can do this. Unlikely perpetrators of a coup d'état to take back the rightful place in my country. That's what we are._ "Invincible together." That slightly nervous and scared Elsa that been held prisoner was nowhere to be found, even inside Elsa's head where she had hidden those feelings.

Now she was on a mission to retake the throne that was rightfully hers. _The Snow Queen and her two strong allies are coming. Anyone standing in our way, you best beware._

 _I will not fail. We're invincible together._

 **A/N: Now Elsa and Anna (and Kiara) just need to figure out a plan to get back to Arendelle and fix everything in less than 72 hours.:P**

 **BTW, if anyone's like 'WHERE'S SUPERMAN?!', it's because he never got Anna's note. Maybe Superman is off saving the day in some other city on the west coast or something. I just wanted Elsa and Anna to escape on their own.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	19. Back to Arendelle

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **PrincessRiley-Well, it's been Elsa's real parents the whole time except for chapter 18.:) Wait and see if Elsa and Anna and Kiara fix everything quickly enough!:)**

 **mctiffanygamingmc-Yes, Elsa got hurt, but she still has most of the power she had before. (I mean, Elsa _does_ use her hands more often than not when she's using her powers.:)) Annddd...I'm not gonna say if Elsa's legs will be okay or not eventually because that would be a spoiler.:P I'm glad you liked it!:) I hope you update your own story soon. *not so subtle hint;)***

 **WarriorQueen 14-Right. That first Arendelle scene with "Agdar" and Kristoff isn't really Elsa's dad. (Although I suppose it could be if you want...just pretend the faux versions took over in the in between time:P) Anyways... Yeah, Anna's being a little over the top mad at Kiara simply because she hurt Elsa.:/ I'm glad you enjoyed it!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Annddd...I PM'ed you, so I won't make you reread the same thing over again.;)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"I know a quick way to get back to Arendelle," Kiara offered a minute later. "I can use electrical currents to teleport places. I'm not strong enough to do it all in one go, but I could do it in parts."

Elsa considered that for a moment. "Kiara, that may work for you, but Anna and I cannot teleport. I don't think that's going to work…" _Then again, I've never tried…but I'm ninety-nine percent sure that ice powers don't work like that._

"Sure it will. I'll just take you and Anna with me. I'd only be able to take one of you at a time with me, so I could just take one of you first and then come back for the other," Kiara said.

Anna frowned. "That means Elsa will have to be left alone temporarily. I don't want to leave her alone." She kept one arm around her sister, partly to simply give her a hug and partly to help Elsa stay sitting up properly. _That's not safe. Someone with good intentions might even try to take her to a hospital or something and then Kiara won't be able to find her._

"I'll be okay. I'll just stay right here at the table. It won't look strange," Elsa said, although quite honestly she didn't particularly feel comfortable being left alone. She might fall on the ground right out of her chair or something. _I'll be fine. Anna and Kiara will only be gone for a minute._

A second later, Kiara and Anna simply disappeared in a spark of light. Elsa was fascinated. _Kiara may not have been born with her electrical abilities, but she shouldn't get rid of them. I mean, it's her decision, not mine, but I think she should keep them._ Before Elsa could think anything else, Kiara reappeared and gave her friend a hesitant smile.

"Ready?" Kiara asked.

Elsa nodded and took Kiara's hand. She felt the sensation of moving unbelievably fast for a moment and then collapsed on the grass wherever they had landed because Kiara couldn't hold her like Anna did. Elsa just lay there in the grass laughing. "Kiara, your teleporting is like a strange over-the-top thrill ride, I think. It lasted for about two seconds, but it was very…interesting," she told Kiara.

Anna picked Elsa up and gently set her down next to a tree so Elsa could lean against the trunk. _Maybe Kiara isn't so bad, just really naïve. And annoying. She is helping us get home…and it's completely her fault that Elsa is hurt, but she did apologize and she's being careful with her. I still don't like Kiara one bit, but I'll try to be nice to her for Elsa's sake._

Elsa bit her lip as she sat deep in thought. "You know…I don't think we should go any further until we have a solid plan," she started. _Let's see…we should use anything we can to take back Arendelle. That means playing the same mind tricks he was trying to do to me._ "Kiara, does Hans know you defected from his plans?" Elsa asked.

"No. He'll think something's wrong if he discovers that he can't contact Luthor's hideout, but he'll think you escaped on your own somehow. Also he usually calls Luthor's cell phone, not the ground line," Kiara told her.

"A ground line is a phone attached to one location then?" Elsa questioned.

"Yep."

Elsa grinned as a plan began taking shape in her mind. "I think I have an idea. And it will play up our strengths and use our weaknesses to our advantage. Here's what we'll do…" _We can do this. I know we can._

Anna and Kiara listened to Elsa's plan and quickly nodded. "Got it. We're all in," they said simultaneously.

* * *

ARENDELLE…

Now in the forest behind Arendelle castle, the girls reevaluated their plan. "We want as few people to risk getting hurt as possible," Elsa whispered. "We also need to free my parents first. None of the three of us know much about the Weselton invasion. My parents will know more about that than we do. So…are we ready to put on our acting shoes?"

Kiara and Anna both grinned. "We're ready."

* * *

A minute later, Anna stood holding Elsa inside a force field in the castle courtyard, acting out the idea that Kiara had simply captured them and brought them back to Arendelle. Since Hans didn't know that Kiara had defected, he would believe Kiara was helping him when, in reality, Kiara was gaining them open access to the castle dungeon to free Elsa's and Anna's parents.

Elsa did her best to appear weak and helpless, playing the part of scared and incapacitated girl in her sister's arms. This wasn't difficult considering her current condition; but all three girls knew that Elsa still had the strongest abilities of the three of them, even with her weakened powers. Inside Elsa was seething. This whole mess was affecting her entire country. _I may have failed to maintain Arendelle's safety, but I'm going to fix that. I just need Anna and Kiara to help. We're invincible together. Invincible together,_ she repeated to herself.

Kiara walked right into the castle with no problems. There weren't even any guards on duty, it appeared. Figuring her brother would be in the Great Hall, she headed in that direction. _I'm so glad Elsa invited me into her castle before. That's letting me find my way around fairly easily._ Here there was a guard at the door. "I've brought the former _queen_ and _princess_ for my brother," she said confidently.

Elsa shuddered. _If I didn't know already that Kiara was acting, I would completely believe her. Impeccable acting there._ Elsa hid her face in her sister's shoulder, not entirely for acting reasons. She just wanted to forget the whole complicated plan and everything to go back to normal. _Stay strong, Elsa. It's okay to appear terrified at the moment because it's part of the act, but soon you're going to need to pull out the indomitable Snow Queen instead. You can do this._

Anna frowned, somehow knowing that Elsa wasn't entirely just acting at the moment. _Elsa's feeling nervous. I know she is. Well, I'm going to take care of her. We'll be fine._ "It'll be all right, Elsa," she whispered.

Elsa nodded ever so slightly, letting Anna know that she was okay. _Thank you, Anna._

"Hans, look what I brought you," Kiara announced. "They were so easy to capture it's not even funny. Can I dump 'em in the dungeon?"

Hans walked over to the girls and spoke directly to Elsa. "You're pathetic. Your sister has to carry you around now?"

 _I hate you, Hans. I can't wait until you get your just dues this time. You'll not walk all over me and break me down like you did before. I'm not that stuttering and still-scared little girl from back in the summer. You've bothered the Snow Queen one too many times._ "I…I can't walk," Elsa said faintly, just as planned. "Kiara hit me." She bit her lip, as if she were trying not to cry. _Hans knows I wouldn't ordinarily let him see all my feelings. So I have to act as if I'm trying to hide them and failing miserably._

Kiara beamed at Elsa's pre-planned words, feigning pride. "So Hans, what do I get? Didn't I just bring you exactly what you wanted?"

Anna scowled at Kiara right on cue. "Aren't you satisfied? You hurt my sister!"

Hans took the girls' act hook, line, and sinker. He grinned meanly, but didn't hand Kiara the keys. "I think I'll take care of them myself…dump Elsa in the _special cell_ " now he sent a meaningful look at Elsa, "And put Anna in a separate one."

"Can't I put 'em down there myself?" Kiara asked. _That wasn't what was supposed to happen! Oh, no…_

"Nah, I'd rather do it myself. You can be in charge up here until I come back instead," Hans said, thinking Kiara would jump at that opportunity.

Kiara chanced a glance at Elsa, hoping for some subtle message of what she should do.

 _Go with the flow. We'll be okay. You know I'm not helpless, even on my own,_ Elsa tried to say with her gaze. _I hope Kiara understands. We need to just keep going with our original plan, or the whole thing will backfire on us._

"All right. Sounds great," Kiara said, hoping she was doing the right thing.

* * *

Anna held Elsa tightly as she slowly descended the steps into the castle dungeon. _What am I supposed to do with Elsa? We weren't supposed to let Hans know we aren't powerless yet. If Elsa tries to maintain her act that she's completely helpless, she's going to get hurt. Then again…Elsa's smart. She'll know when to let her ice fly._

Elsa kept her head resting against her sister's shoulder. Not only did it fit with their act, it also genuinely made Elsa feel better. She felt as if her heart would beat right out of her chest. _Well, I really do feel scared right now, and I'm not losing control. Probably because I'm about eighty percent angry and twenty percent scared, not just freaked out._

Hans opened the door to a cell that was all too familiar to Elsa, took her from Anna, and simply dropped her on the floor in the center of the small room. "Be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere. Oh, I forgot. You can't."

Elsa bit back an angry retort and rubbed her elbow where she had banged it hard on the floor. _Oh, little do you know. And this cell can't affect me anymore. I just don't care. Yes, it has rotten memories that still hurt me inside, but right now that can't hurt me. It can't break me down. I'm the indomitable Snow Queen inside right now. So there._ Elsa was deciding whether or not to get herself out of there when she heard a familiar voice from the shadows.

"Elsa? Is that you?"

Elsa squinted at the shape in the corner. "Mom?" she asked quietly. Elsa spotted a second, larger shape next to the first one and then she was sure. "Dad?" _I wonder why Hans put me in here. That's really strange…_

"Elsa, you need to get out of here," Agdar ordered. "Just stand up and get out of here, scared or not. That man…boy, if you ask me…is dangerous. He'll hurt you."

Elsa opened her mouth to reply and then clamped it shut again when she heard the door open. _How am I supposed to get myself, Mom, and Dad out of here?! Think, Elsa, think._ She saw Hans pick up shackles identical to the ones that had contained her in Luthor's hideout; and without any consideration, instantly shot ice through the air, knocking them to the ground and then freezing them to the floor. That was one thing Elsa couldn't afford to deal with again. That _would_ render her helpless. "Leave me alone, Hans," she said quietly.

"Yes, you've had lots of practice being alone. I suppose you'd enjoy living alone again. This time you can keep your original captors with you."

 _How dare you say one word about my parents!_ Elsa instinctively shielded her face with her arms and was glad she did a second later. _Time's up, Elsa. No more helpless terrified girl or you're going to end up dead._ She heard her mother shouting for Hans to leave her daughter alone, and then her father yelling that Hans was unforgivable and a coward if he attacked an injured young girl. Elsa bit her lip and sent ice flying in Hans's direction with one hand, keeping the other blocking her face. _I should have made an ice bubble!_

And Elsa was too surprised to think when Hans ran out of the room as fast as he could go, slamming the door behind him. "Coward," Elsa couldn't help muttering, although she was glad he was gone. For insurance's sake, she froze the cell door shut to keep everyone out. Then she pushed herself to a sitting position and looked toward her parents, her expression neutral but determined. "I'm going to get you out of here," she announced. Elsa carefully maneuvered herself over to the corner with her air currents, as she had known she could do. "I'm going to break those," Elsa explained, pointing at the normal chains holding her parents that she knew she could break easily.

Idun frowned as Elsa took less than a minute to break both her and Agdar free. "Elsa…what's happened to you?" she asked in concern.

"I know; it would usually take me less time to break the chains than that," Elsa said without thinking, assuming her mother was referring to Elsa's inability to instantly break metal as she usually did.

"No, Elsa. You took barely any time to break them, sweetie. What happened to you? You're far too skinny-that ice-dress of yours is loose on you; it's falling off your shoulders. Your wrists are all torn up and blistered, and I'm fairly certain there's something not quite right with your legs. What did Hans and whoever else is working with him do to you?" Idun hugged Elsa close. She was so happy to have her daughter back, but she knew Elsa was seriously hurt.

Elsa just closed her eyes and threw her arms around her mother's neck, not caring that both her arms ached. She felt safe at the moment. "I didn't have anything to eat while I was missing, just water. There were these shackles that contracted when they got cold, and that meant I couldn't just break them…I guess they irritated my wrists. And Kiara shocked me by accident, and…and I guess the electricity did something to me…" _I should put the next part of our plan into action as soon as possible…_

"Elsa, it's been over _six weeks_ since you and Anna went missing," Agdar said slowly. "It's the end of November…what were your captors trying to do, starve you to death?!"

Elsa shook her head, stunned that it had been that long. _Six weeks?! I lasted that long?!_ "No, I think they just wanted to make me feel…subpar and helpless. I wouldn't let them feed me, and I guess once a certain amount of time passed, they were too proud to give in, because they knew the second they freed my hands, I'd escape. I don't know."

Idun tried to lift Elsa to her feet, only for Elsa's legs to buckle under her again. Elsa sighed and just used one hand to create an air current to hold herself up. "Mom, it's useless. I can't stand up; I can't even feel them, let alone move them," she said softly. _What am I supposed to do? I hope that's not permanent, but I have a sick feeling it is. The more time that passes, the more I'm sure that it's a permanent effect. Elsa, forget about it. You can think about that later._

"Oh, Elsa…what are we going to do with you? You just said that all nonchalantly…" Idun hugged her daughter tightly as tears ran down her cheeks. _I have Elsa back home, but she's badly hurt. What are we going to do?_

"Are you still going to like me okay if I'm…permanently like this?" Elsa whispered.

"Of course, sweetie…you're still just plain Elsa inside, no matter what is or isn't wrong with you," Idun replied quickly. _That's the first thing out of Elsa's mouth about this?_

Elsa smiled a bit and said thank you. Then she said, "Dad, tell me everything you know about the Weselton invasion. I need to know so I can decide how to handle it." _I can do this. Anna and Kiara have probably captured the rest of Hans's people by now._

Idun picked up Elsa and just held her so Elsa wouldn't be wasting her dwindling energy on her air currents when she didn't absolutely have to. "Elsa, you can't even walk. How are you going to handle an invasion?" she asked in concern.

"My hands work, and that's how I use my powers most of the time," Elsa replied firmly. _Depending on how the invasion is working and whether or not they've sent soldiers on shore will decide what I do._

"To my knowledge, Hans's doppelgangers of us have sent messengers back and forth to the ships blockading the fjord. That's all," Agdar said. "We have kept ears and eyes open down here. Big mouths out in the corridor tell a lot."

Elsa's expression remained serious, but she nodded. "Okay. That makes it simple then. I'll freeze them out."

* * *

"You big double-crosser!" Hans shouted.

Kiara didn't budge. "You lied to me. You used me. You are partly to blame for what happened to Elsa. I hope you're happy knowing someone who's actually genuine and doesn't hurt her friends even when they hurt her is probably permanently crippled!" she screamed. "I don't need you, Hans. I still care about you because you're my brother, but right now I hate you. I hope the Snow Queen doesn't have mercy on you this time, because she's already done way more for you than she should have." She released her direct control on the force field containing her brother and left it in the center of the Great Hall. "I'll let Elsa decide what to do with you."

Hans watched as his little sister marched out of the Great Hall. He would never admit it out loud, but he was exceedingly jealous of the strong sibling bond of the two Arendellian sisters. No matter what happened to them, those girls supported each other through everything and stuck together like glue. The fourteen royal kids of the Southern Isles, mostly now grown, were nothing like that. They all turned on one another; the older ones incessantly picked on the younger ones. Hans remembered being pleased when baby Kiara was born because then he wasn't the youngest anymore. _You should apologize to Kiara. She's a useless pest but she is your sister,_ a long-unused conscience told him. "Nah, she wouldn't listen," he said aloud. "Kiara wouldn't listen to any apology."

"You'll never know unless you try," Elsa's quiet but confident voice announced from the doorway. _That horrible person actually feels guilty for what he did to his sister…he just doesn't want to admit it._

Hans glared at Elsa. "How'd you get up here? You can't even walk," he spat at her.

Elsa realized Hans was trapped in one of Kiara's force fields, and her racing heart instantly slowed. He couldn't hurt her stuck in there. "I have my ways," she said simply, and sent herself floating across the room.

"The ice girl flies," Hans said in disgust. "Look, what do you want? You won. Quit gloating. Yes, true love trumps all. Terrific. I hate you. Just banish me or whatever it is you intended to do and get your stupid self out of my sight."

"I don't want anything from you, Hans. I just want you to know that a sibling bond can be repaired. Anna and I are living proof of that." Elsa paused for a moment before continuing, "Have you ever heard the phrase 'We're invincible together'?"

Hans gave her a scornful look. "Useless corny phrase. Who thought that nonsense up?!" _Is it really useless, though? It worked for the so-called Snow Queen and her pesky sister…_

Elsa looked Hans right in the eyes. "If it's such a useless corny phrase, why didn't Anna and I lose our heads while you and Luthor kept us locked up for over six weeks?" She waited for a minute to see if he would reply, but Hans said nothing. _I'm going to go take care of the Weselton invasion. That Hans is safely contained here._ "Think about it," Elsa added, and she left.

* * *

Down by the fjord, Kiara took matters into her own hands when she saw Weseltonians beginning to row ashore. Not certain what to do, she began throwing small electrical bombs directly into each rowboat.

 _Boom._

 _Boom._

 _Boom! Boom!_

Anna stood beside her, putting out the fires with water right after each explosion to reduce the enemies getting wounded. "Kiara, there has to be a better way to do this! We've probably seriously wounded a bunch of people!" Anna shouted.

"It's war! What do you expect?!" Kiara shouted back.

A minute later, Elsa dropped down beside them. Elsa's eyes went wide when she noticed what the other two girls were doing. "You're hurting people!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it was either that or let them get onshore," Kiara said, not sounding a bit sorry.

Anna held her sister upright and let Elsa take over the fighting. "We don't really have a non-lethal way to fight like you do," Anna explained.

Elsa nodded and quickly iced over the fjord, freezing all the ships and their onboard weapons in place. "I'll repeat the same thing I did on your previous attack!" she shouted when the duke came slipping and sliding across the ice toward her. "You've nullified our treaty, you know! Kidnapping my parents gives me the right to do exactly as I please right now. You have lost all your cards. You have lost your advantage. I will be within my rights to freeze you where you stand." _There_ is _one thing that I could do that would eliminate this problem once and for all…_

"Why is the princess holding you?" the duke asked scornfully.

Elsa flinched but maintained perfect control. _Because I can't stand up by myself. I am not telling him that, even if it's probably obvious._ "None of your business. Shall I freeze you now?" she asked, making snow and ice sparkle and glow between her hands.

"N-no…I'll do anything, just don't do that!"

Elsa privately sighed in relief. _Good, he'll do anything I ask now._ "I daresay anything might include relinquishing control of your duchy to Arendelle and therefore me," she announced seriously.

"But Queen Elsa! What will happen to my fellow countrymen?!"

Elsa gave the duke a thin smile. "I am no tyrant. Your people will be well taken care of. Shall we return to my castle to agree on certain resignation documents?" Elsa meant every word. She would consider Weselton as part of her own country; she would take utmost care with it; but this also would strip the duke of any political power or influence. _I should have done this before…not given that duke all these chances. I've had enough._ "Kiara, fetch two guards from the castle," she whispered.

The duke scowled at her but made no argument. The twenty-one-year-old ice wielder held all the power, both politically and literally; and he knew it. He knew Elsa was a fair ruler; no monarch worth her salt would put up with all of the backstabbing, money laundering, and invasions he had attempted over the years. But he despised her magic with a passion and hated her for it. "I see no choice," he said.

"We agree on something for once," was Elsa's simple reply.

The opposing sides just stayed there in silence until Kiara came back with two guards from the castle. "We apologize for everything, Queen Elsa!" one of them exclaimed.

Elsa nodded and gave him a small smile. "We will return to the castle at this time," she announced. "Anna, you can let go. I'll 'fly' back to the castle," Elsa whispered to her sister.

* * *

"You will sign here," Elsa announced a while later. She, Anna, her parents, Kiara, the two guards, and the duke were all in the study upstairs in the castle. Elsa pushed the document across the desk to the duke.

"I can't believe I am giving in to a crippled young girl," the duke spat out.

Elsa's blue eyes flashed. "That crippled young girl holds all the power, and you and I and everyone else in this room knows it. I suggest you cooperate," she replied, matching his tone. Elsa knew the duke had figured out what had happened to her the second she had fallen to the floor when her powers gave out on her because she was so tired and then couldn't get up. _I can still feel my powers inside…they're just really weak right now. Like when I helped with the hurricane awhile ago._

"This doesn't sign Weselton over to you. It says 'ceded to Agdar Grieg and Idun Grieg, former monarchs of Arendelle'," the duke said a minute later.

"That is correct," Elsa replied quietly. "I daresay my parents need a job, wouldn't you agree? Quite suitable. An entire duchy." _I know this is the right thing all the more now. It's perfect._

 **A/N: Elsa's back in control. Yay!:)**

 **Please let me know what you thought of the scene with Elsa and Hans. I wanted to make it clear Elsa has managed to plant a seed of doubt in Hans's mind about his actions, but that he's nowhere near willing to admit outright he's in the wrong. (Just as a reminder, I am NOT redeeming Hans; I just wanted to humanize him a little, that's all. Who likes one-dimensional characters? Not me!:P)**

 **And yes, Elsa just took over all of Weselton within a matter of minutes. XD**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	20. Settling Down

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **the green baron-I think that might let Elsa stand up, but she wouldn't be able to walk that way...anyways she's exhausted and that means her powers are tired too.:/ Elsa _did_ have water for all that time, but still-explanation for why Elsa is mostly okay, just tired, is in this chapter.:)**

 **raven678-Maybe! Wait and see.:) No spoilers;) (Although if you DO want spoilers, just PM me or say so in a review and I'll tell you.:))**

 **QueenIcelandia-Well, everything is back to normal in the sense that Elsa's back in her rightful position in Arendelle.:)**

 **Frozen789-Thank you!:)**

 **Mandy-Yay, you were able to leave reviews while you're on your trip!:) Yep, I thought Hans needed a bit of backstory/characterization beyond stupid creep that keeps trying to take over Arendelle.:P I think Elsa is far too understanding for her own good sometimes.:/ Probably all the pain and hurt she herself has gone through makes her extremely acute and understanding to others' problems. Which means Elsa is about the best person ANYONE could have around when they're upset or something.:) So Kiara's redeemed herself in your mind then?:P Yeah, I had fun writing the part with the duke. Such an idiotic fool!XD Of course, what can you expect from someone who says 'Like a chicken with the face of a monkey, I fly!'? Lol:P I'm glad you like it; Elsa _does_ deserve love and care from her mother-I agree.:) 1) I'll talk about Anna's (now fading) water powers next chapter.:) 2) Well, Agdar can't just start randomly showing more care for Elsa, but I'll just say A HAPPY ENDING WILL BE COMIN' EVENTUALLY!;):) 3) Kiara gets a happy ending too. That's all I'm going to say.;) 4) What Kristoff was doing will be revealed in this chapter.:) I'm not sure whether that will fit or not, so...maybe?:P Put it this way: I'll make sure that happens FOR SURE in the sequel to this story. That plot is still forming in my head, so it'll certainly fit there.:) Well, you're welcome, but I had NO reason to be mad, and I'm not.:) Thank you!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-That's what I thought Cardboard cutouts are boring! I just figured there has to be a REASON Hans is such a creep.:P I don't think Elsa is really the best person when it comes to letting herself rest when she needs to. She pushes herself way too hard...all the time.:/**

 **On to the story!:)**

Anna hugged Elsa close the second the duke had been escorted from the room. "I'm proud of you, Elsa," she informed her sister. _She just took over a whole duchy like it was nothing. She got that duke out of the way permanently._

"You did well, Elsa. You are a very savvy ruler. Good job," Agdar told her before abruptly walking out of the room.

Elsa smiled a bit and leaned her tired head on Anna's shoulder. "Kiara…make sure _all_ of your brother's cohorts are in the dungeon. I know I can trust you to do that, all right?" _I'm so exhausted. I just want to sleep…_

"You should go to bed, sweetie," Idun said to Elsa. "I'm sure Anna won't mind carrying you down the hall. And I just wanted to tell you thank you for your plan with the duchy. Very ingenious, Elsa."

"Thank you…" Elsa replied sleepily. Now that everyone was safe at home again, utter exhaustion hit her like a brick. _Invincible together…and it's really true. We're back home safe. Together._

Anna gently scooped up her sister and carried Elsa down the hall to her own room before laying her down on her bed. "Mom, do you think we oughta get the doctor to look at Elsa?" she asked softly. "She's way too skinny and…and I'm worried Elsa's legs won't get better…"

Elsa scowled tiredly at Anna. "I just want to sleep. I don't want the doctor looking at me," she muttered. _Are you scared of what the doctor might tell you, Elsa?_

 _Yes…but I really am exhausted._

 _Procrastinator,_ a little voice scolded in her head.

"Well, I'm gonna get Gerda anyways," Anna decided. _She can at least take care of all those marks on Elsa's wrists. I'll bother Elsa about the doctor tomorrow._ Anna found her sister's favorite light blue nightgown and tossed it to Elsa. "You can put that on while I'm gone since I'm quite positive you won't want any help."

"'Kay."

* * *

"Thank you," Elsa said slightly grudgingly to her mother a few minutes later. "I'm sorry I'm so…well, like this…" Elsa had finally allowed her mother to help her get her nightgown on properly after trying and failing multiple times to do it herself, but it was embarrassing and Elsa hated being unable to do something simple like that by herself.

"Don't apologize, Elsa," Idun said as she tucked Elsa under the covers. "Just rest, sweetie. I do love you. I'm so, so sorry your father and I didn't manage to find you and Anna weeks ago." _Maybe Elsa wouldn't have gotten hurt if we had found her and Anna sooner…much sooner…_

Elsa smiled when she heard her mother say that she loved _her._ "Mama loves _me_ …" she mumbled to herself. _I'm contented, safe, and happy right now. I'm scared that my legs won't get better, but other than that, I'm happy. My country is safe, too…_

Idun softly touched Elsa's pale cheek. "Oh, Elsa..." she whispered. _Why did my little girl have to be hurt again? She's still surprised her own mother cares about her. First Agdar and I abused her for all those years and left her traumatized inside, and now she's physically hurt too._ "Why did this have to happen to you? _Why?_ You're nothing but an innocent girl…I'm sorry, Elsa…so, so sorry…"

Elsa was half-asleep, but she still knew her mother was getting all distressed for some reason. So she pulled one hand out from under the covers and gave her mother's hand a squeeze. "It's okay…it's just me…just Elsa…not like if Anna was hurt," Elsa mumbled sleepily. _I don't like seeing my mommy upset…especially just because of me…_

 _She's trying to make_ me _feel better_ , Idun realized. _Even though she's so exhausted._ "Go back to sleep, sweetie. You're important too, not just Anna," she said quietly.

"Elsa…happy…" Elsa's tired voice trailed off, and she didn't say anything more.

* * *

Elsa felt a gentle hand turning her wrist this way and that a few minutes later, and half-registered Gerda's familiar voice warning her that it might sting for a minute. Elsa nodded slightly but didn't open her eyes. "That's…okay…" she said slowly. She flinched at the hot stinging on her wrist, and blinked her blue eyes open just in time to see Gerda quickly but gently bandaging her damaged skin.

"Half done, Miss Elsa. We just have to do the same thing to the other one, all right?" Gerda told her. _If we could get Rapunzel here, she could help Elsa at least partly…I don't know about her legs, but she could heal Elsa's bruises on her arms and those blisters and raw skin on her wrists. But it isn't safe to cross the fjord this time of year. Too many storms…_

Elsa nodded and braced herself for the stinging sensation again. This time she barely flinched at all. "Anna…will you stay…in here with me?" she asked tiredly. "Please?" _I want my baby sister with me right now. I haven't been able to really talk to or be around her in weeks…_ Elsa struggled to scoot over to make room for Anna, who promptly hopped under the covers next to Elsa and tossed one arm around her.

Gerda gently tucked Elsa's hand under the covers and then told the girls good night before leaving the room along with the girls' mother. "We'll have to give you a nice big breakfast tomorrow too, Miss Elsa."

"That will be nice," Elsa replied, giving Gerda a small smile. "Good night, Mom…good night, Gerda…"

* * *

Elsa waited until the door was shut; then asked, "Anna…d'you think…my legs are going to…get better?" _Why are you asking Anna that, Elsa?! She doesn't know any more about it than you do._

Anna bit her lip, wondering what on earth she should tell her sister. "I don't know, Elsa," she said finally. "I _hope_ so, but even if they don't, you'll still be my awesome big sister." Anna hugged Elsa close, wishing she had something more reassuring to tell Elsa. _But I know Elsa wants to know my honest opinion. So…yeah._

Elsa didn't reply, but she held her sister's hand tightly with both of her own. _As long as I have Anna with me, I'll be okay. It doesn't matter…does it?_

Anna sat up and just pulled Elsa onto her lap and held her securely in her arms. "Just as a reminder, I don't mind helping take care of you," she whispered. "You just remember that." _I wouldn't mind taking care of Elsa twenty-four seven if she needed it, but I hate even the notion that she might be permanently injured. It's not Elsa's fault at all. It's Kiara's and Hans's._

"Thank you, Anna…" Elsa's tired voice trailed off, and she fell asleep almost instantly.

Anna gently tucked her sister back under the covers once she was sure Elsa was asleep. _Good night, Elsa._

* * *

Elsa felt better the next morning, but she was still tired and her ice inside still felt depleted, although not as badly as the day before. And the sickening reminder that her legs were paralyzed hit her hard when she instinctively tried to hop up and just fell off the bed instead. Elsa tried to drag herself back on the bed, but her arms weren't strong enough and she knew her powers would object to creating air currents at the moment. She finally just closed her eyes and stayed slumped on the floor waiting for someone to come find her. _I will not call for help. Just…no. I wonder where Anna is anyways…_

"I knew it! I just knew it!" Anna exclaimed a minute later. "Elsa, you're supposed to be in bed resting. You're supposed to be resting even if your legs weren't hurt. Bad Elsa!" She picked Elsa up and just set her back down on the bed leaning against the pillows. "I brought the doctor up here. No arguments this time, sis."

"Well, I certainly didn't fall on the floor on purpose," Elsa muttered. "And my legs don't hurt. I can't feel them at all. I don't want to talk about it." _Elsa, stop being so grumpy. Anna is just trying to be nice. You know that._

 _I'd rather say Elsa is hurt than that she's crippled or something. So there._ Anna frowned but didn't say anything. Secretly she had been hoping that Elsa would be randomly better in the morning.

"Queen Elsa, would you permit me to see your back?" the doctor asked. "Perhaps that may help clear up what's happened to you."

Elsa frowned, but she did roll over onto her tummy. _I know what happened to me. Kiara shocked me by accident and the electricity paralyzed my legs somehow. What is there to see?_

The doctor looked to Anna to decide what to do next, and Anna just said, "Elsa says it's all right to look at her back. She's just not very talkative this morning." She plopped down next to her sister, and Elsa instantly clutched her hand as tightly as she could. "It's ok, Elsa. We're safe at home now, and we're gonna get you taken care of."

 _That's not it. I'm scared of what the doctor is going to say._ Elsa closed her eyes and purposely zoned out, still clutching Anna's hand.

"She has a very small burn that appears to be from some sort of elec-tricity, I believe," the doctor said quietly to Anna. "Honestly I am not sure why a burn would cause this type of injury, but if it was deep enough to damage the spinal cord, it's almost certainly permanent. Queen Elsa may have magical superpowers, but she's still human…I am truly sorry I couldn't give a more pleasant diagnosis. Also she is far too underweight and undernourished, although she doesn't really seem to be ill, just weak and tired. Make sure she eats and drinks plenty of-"

"Thank you sir…you are dismissed," Elsa choked out her interruption, having heard nothing except 'permanent'. _Go away. Anna can see me cry, but not you. Go away._

Anna nodded urgently, silently telling the doctor to get out of there. The second the door was closed, Anna quickly redid the buttons on the back of her sister's nightgown and then just held her close. "It'll be all right, Elsa," she whispered. "It's all right. I'll help you with anything you want or need. I love you." _It's not either all right. My big sister can't walk because she let herself get hit instead of me…_

Elsa wasn't outright sobbing, but tears slowly trickled down her cheeks and a few snowflakes floated down around her. "I was almost positive that was the case…but hearing the information for sure…was different…" _But you kept Anna from being hurt. You did your job, Elsa. It's okay._ "At least it was me and not you," Elsa added, sounding much more content all of a sudden. She smiled and snuggled closer to Anna.

* * *

Anna resisted the urge to start yelling that her sister was crazy and that it was most definitely not ok that Elsa had gotten hit instead of Anna. If that stupid thought was what comforted Elsa at the moment, Anna was not going to take that away from her. "Gerda's going to bring our breakfast up here in a minute," Anna told her sister. "Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, eggs, and milk. All kinds of yummy things."

Both girls giggled when Elsa's tummy growled loudly. "I guess I'm hungrier than I thought," Elsa quipped. "Anna…where's Kiara?" she asked a moment later.

"She's sleeping on the floor at the foot of your bed," Anna informed her. "I'm still angry with her. Kiara's the one that hurt my big sister! Oh yeah, and Elsa?"

"What?"

"You're not supposed to use your powers for a week so you can get stronger faster. I mean, if you want to make your signature snowflake or something, that's fine; but no flying and no snowball fights or anything else big or complicated like that. Doctor's orders. I talked to him this morning before I brought him up here," Anna explained. "He also said he thought your powers might have made you more resistant against the effects of not eating for all that time than you would be otherwise. Kind of like a built-in hydration system or something. 'Cause you're _way_ too thin and stuff, but you aren't ill or half-dead or something else horrible."

Elsa scowled. "Number one, wake Kiara up and invite her to sit on the bed with us. Number two, if I don't use my powers, I'm helpless and I can't even leave this room!" _I don't want to stay cooped up in here again, even if it's just for a week…and my powers make me able to not eat for an extended period of time? That's an interesting thought…_

"I'll carry you about wherever you like," Anna assured her. "You most certainly do _not_ have to stay in here, Elsa." She knelt next to Kiara and shook her shoulder. "Elsa wants you to eat breakfast with us." _Why, I don't know, but I promised I'd be nice to Kiara for Elsa's sake._

Kiara eagerly plopped on the bed. "Is Snow Queen Elsa better now?"

Elsa gave Kiara a lopsided smile. "I feel better, but my legs still don't work, if that's what you mean," she said quietly. _And they're not going to get better unless something crazy happens. Okay, Elsa, just accept it. You'll be fine. Anna will help you._

Kiara scowled and looked away from the older girl. "I'd say I'm sorry, but sorry won't fix what I did," she muttered. "Maybe Hans was right. I am an electrified freak. I permanently hurt my best friend."

"Kiara, _no_!" Elsa exclaimed. "No one is a freak. _No one._ Not even your, quite honestly horrible, brother. If you think you're a freak, then I'm a freak too." _Kiara just referred to me as her best friend. Her best friend! Me. Me, Elsa._

"You _are_ a freak. In a really good way," Kiara insisted. "Come on, nobody else has powers. Even if you compare you and me, we're way different. We don't both control ice or both control electricity."

Elsa sighed. _Kiara thinks I'm a freak but that it's a good thing. How paradoxical._

* * *

After breakfast, Anna carried her sister down the hall to the library per Elsa's request. "I want to play chess with you, if that's okay," Elsa explained. "Maybe I could teach Kiara, too."

"I already know how to play," Kiara said. "I heard you were a crazy awesome chess player. Can I play on a team with Anna against you?"

Elsa grinned. "Sure! I won't hold back on you two, though!" _I'm so glad I have Anna with me…and Kiara called me her best friend…_

Not surprisingly, even with both Kiara and Anna playing together, Elsa still managed to win the game. "The Snow Queen prevails," she quipped, giving the other two girls a smile.

"Stinker," was Anna's prompt response. "Oh, hi Mom, hi Dad," she added as her and Elsa's parents walked into the library.

Elsa said nothing and just looked away, afraid of what they might do or say if they had been told what was wrong with her. _I don't think Mom will not like me anymore, but I don't know what Dad will think. He'll think I have two things that make me permanently broken now._ She didn't even react when she felt herself tipping to one side. It didn't matter. Nothing she did was going to fix her legs or the relationship between her and her father.

Anna quickly pulled Elsa back upright and kept one arm wrapped around her sister. Elsa fiddled with the flutter sleeve on her cobalt blue ice-dress and whispered a thank-you to Anna but otherwise said nothing.

"You look quite pretty this morning, Elsa," Idun told her. "If you feel up to it, would you mind going outside to the gardens? All of us together, as a family?"

Elsa privately did not think she 'looked pretty this morning' because there were bruises all over her arms and she had bandages on her damaged wrists, but she just nodded and said thank-you before resorting to silence again. _Well, my dress looks pretty. But I don't._

"Come on, sis. Let's go outside. I think it would do you good, and I promise I'll carry you and I won't drop you," Anna said. _Really, I think Elsa's being really brave. She's awesome._

"The rest of you go on ahead. I will see you later," Agdar said as he abruptly turned and left the room..

Elsa slumped even though Anna was supporting her. "I can see Dad is just thrilled to be around me now that I'm broken twice over in his eyes," she muttered. "Not." _I don't know why, but I was just hoping things might be different now. But I guess not._

Anna gently lifted her sister and then set her down again against one end of the sofa, stacking pillows on Elsa's other side. _There. Now Elsa won't fall over, even by herself._ "I'm just gonna go put on a warm dress since I know it's really cold outside."

Now Elsa smirked ever so slightly. "The cold never bothered me anyway." _Thanks, ice powers. That's one thing that hasn't changed. I'm still the Snow Queen. So there._

* * *

Idun and Anna took turns carrying Elsa around the gardens a short while later. Anna was sure Elsa couldn't be more than about seventy-five or eighty pounds at the moment because she was so tiny, but it was still a bit tiring to carry her around. "I'm gonna have muscles Kristoff will be jealous of," Anna teased. Elsa's face fell and Anna quickly backtracked. "But it's totally ok, sis. I don't mind helping you one bit."

Elsa frowned a moment later. "Anna…where is Kristoff? And Olaf? And Rania? I haven't seen any of them since we arrived home," she said. _Are they missing?_

"Kristoff is right here," Kristoff said just then.

Anna's eyes grew big. "Where have you been?!"

Kristoff quickly began explaining. "Searching for you two. Olaf managed to locate you somewhat-he said you were 'across the lake', but you were really out of his range, I think. Rania sensed that you were hurt somehow, Qu-Elsa…are you all right?"

Elsa shrugged. "Comme ci, comme ça. Anna is safe, and I'm not dead, so…yes," she replied after a moment. _I'm all right. I think._

Anna plopped down on a bench and kept holding Elsa protectively in her arms. "I'm glad we're back home safe, but Elsa's just being really brave. She's not either all right…Elsa can't-"

"Just let me say it, okay?" Elsa interrupted. Anna nodded and gave her sister a reassuring squeeze. "I can't walk," she said flatly. "That's all." _I'm not angry at Kiara, but I still feel…upset. I suppose that's normal, though. Right?_

Kristoff said nothing for a minute. "Well, you don't need your legs to work to be a good queen," he said finally. "Which has been proved since you are back in power instead of that idiotic Hans or Weselton. Your dad just told me what you did yesterday to permanently neutralize the Duke of Weselton. He seemed really proud of you for once."

Elsa smiled a bit at that. _That's true. I don't need to be able to walk to be able to function well as queen. And Dad was proud of me?!_

"Once I realized those doppelgangers weren't your parents, I just purposely stayed far, far away from the castle up in the mountains," Kristoff went on. "I took Olaf, Rania, and Sven with me to keep them safe. We spied on your ice palace to make sure no one disturbed it. Marshmallow chased a small group-I think there were four or five-of Hans' men away from it." Kristoff did not add that two of the would-be intruders fell to their deaths into the crevasse beneath Elsa's icy staircase; and that that was why no one meddled with the palace again. "I came down to the marketplace this morning to buy more food, and that's how I knew everything was back to normal."

Elsa felt hot tears burning in her eyes, and she roughly wiped them away. She would never be able to visit her ice palace again without someone carrying her all the way up there. "Anna…I…I'm going to miss my ice palace," she whispered. Elsa hid her face in Anna's shoulder and refused to cry. _Stop it, Elsa! Stop it, stop it, stop it._

Anna immediately knew why Elsa was upset all of a sudden. _Oh, Elsa. Even if you could never get up there on your own, I would find a way to help you._ "Good grief, you goof, why would you not be able to go up to the ice palace?! Sure, not this week, but the second you're stronger again, you can just fly up there with your air currents. Very simple. Also I would totally not mind carrying you up there. I wouldn't be able to the whole way, but I'm sure Kristoff or Mom or someone would help. Or hey, just get Marshmallow to carry you if you wanted to! That would be easy."

Elsa gave her sister a lopsided smile. "Thank you, Anna…I'm sorry I'm so stupid," she said softly. _I should have thought of those things. But Anna is right. I'm not unable to get up there. There's plenty of ways to get me up there._

Elsa frowned when she felt Anna shiver. "Am I making you cold?" Elsa asked in concern. _I know I'm not cold to the touch, but it's just above freezing out here. And I'm not exactly warm._

"No way, Elsa! I'm cold because it's freezing out here, not 'cause of you. Can we go back inside?" Anna asked.

Elsa nodded and rested her head against Anna's shoulder. Just being outside and being carried about had started to make her tired again. _I'm so glad you're my sister, Anna. You make me happy._

* * *

When Kristoff, Idun, Anna, and Elsa came back into the castle entrance hall, Kai was there to meet them. "A note for you, Miss Elsa," he announced, and handed her the paper.

Elsa bit her lip nervously as she slowly looked down at the note. _Who could have a message for me now?_ " 'To my brave girl, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Thank you for the duchy. Sincerely, Agdar Grieg.'," Elsa read slowly. The note fluttered to the floor, and Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna's neck and hid her face in Anna's shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Papa doesn't…hate me…" she said, her voice sounding muffled in her sister's shoulder. _He called me his brave girl!_ Elsa didn't care that the note contained no apology, no 'Love, Dad' or anything of the sort.

"Ahem," Kai cleared his throat loudly to get Elsa's attention. "That note was to go with this," he told her. "Your father pulled it out of the attic and had it fixed up in the last few hours."

Elsa tilted her head to one side, as she often did when she was thinking, considering something, or confused. _What do I want with that? The last time I saw that I was seven and Anna and I pushed each other at breakneck speed down the hall upstairs in it. And after crashing down the stairs that one time and getting hurt, we were banned from doing that anymore._ Then reality hit her. She couldn't get around by herself. She needed Anna or someone else to carry her. "Tell Dad I said thank you," Elsa said quietly.

Anna gently set her sister down in the wheelchair, but Elsa clung to Anna and wouldn't let go. "Elsa…maybe it'll just be temporary," Anna started to say, but then she shut up. _Elsa isn't dumb. She knows as well as I do that that's virtually impossible._

"I want to go upstairs," Elsa whispered. "Please."

* * *

Elsa lay on her side on her bed a few minutes later, clutching the two dolls Anna had given her for her birthday months ago tightly. Anna sat next to Elsa and just gently stroked her platinum hair over and over in an effort to comfort Elsa and make her feel better. "I don't know what to say, sis," Anna said softly.

"That's okay. You just sitting with me makes me happy," Elsa replied. She closed her eyes and smiled, concentrating on the fact that she was safely being with her sister. _You know what, Elsa? You still have so much more than that terrified girl from before the coronation._

 _I have Anna with me. I can control my powers. My mother loves me, and my father doesn't hate me at least. My kingdom is safe. The Arendelle royal family now controls Weselton as well._

 _I'm not terrified of every little thing anymore. I did not lose my head during all those weeks when Anna and I were missing. I'm competent politically._

 _And I am loved. Anna loves me. I remember thinking so many times that if I just had Anna with me, if I could be around her without risking her safety; I'd be able to deal with anything. I remember I once I told Anna I'd rather be unable to walk than what was 'really wrong with me'. My powers don't mean there's something wrong with me. There's nothing wrong with me now, either. Teenage Elsa was so terrified of herself it made her stupid. I'm fine. Anna loves me. That IS enough for me. It is._

"Anna? I want to quit sulking and go downstairs," Elsa announced.

Anna beamed at her sister. "What perked you up all of a sudden?" _And she wasn't really sulking…I mean duh, Elsa didn't want to accept that she needed something to help her get around. She's being too hard on herself._

"Just something simple but important I should have thought of instantly," Elsa vaguely explained.

"Would you mind telling me what that something is?"

Elsa smiled that lopsided smile of hers at her sister. "You. I used to think all the time that if I could just have you with me, if I could just be around you without hurting you; I'd be able to deal with anything. I remembered that I'm loved. That I'm not worthless. That there's nothing wrong with me now, and that there wasn't then, either. I remembered that my baby sister loves _me_. That's all." Elsa struggled to a sitting position and then hugged Anna tightly. _Thank you, Anna._

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	21. Things from the Past

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **raven678-I figured Agdar can't just randomly start loving and caring for Elsa, but yeah, he's starting to actually care about her a little bit.:) Elsa's just being...Elsa. I mean, I think all she really _needs_ is to have Anna with her and be able to control her powers...and she has those things. There are plenty of other things she may _want_ , but it's like the 'icing on the cake' to her.:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol, Agdar was genuinely trying to be nice.:P But I agree; he's not exactly helping Elsa any. I think she would rather have a hug than anything else.:) Now why do I think that's completely, utterly funny?! XD I'd totally have Elsa do that, except she'd be creating another life, and I doubt she would want to do that "only" for herself. I'll make sure Elsa considers the idea in the next chapter, though.;) Thanks!**

 **snowboardgurl-Elsa's fine.:) She has Anna with her, so Elsa thinks she's perfectly fine.:)**

 **WarriorQueen 14-There IS more plot, but it's staying family-oriented. No more outside villains, lol.:P Elsa _should_ realize that she's a good queen, but somehow I doubt she does.:/ I've tried to keep all of Elsa's political actions "politically correct" because since she has absolute power, I don't want her to appear like a dictator. (That would be pretty hard for _Elsa_ to be, but still.:)) Yay, I'm glad you liked Elsa's solution to the problem with Weselton! I figured Hans needed a bit more fleshing out as a character...I mean, yes, he's a creep to Elsa and Anna, but he has to have REASONS for being like that.:P Honestly I would have let Elsa's legs get better by now except that it didn't fit with any of my headcanons about the limits and capabilities of each character's powers. (Which will be explained more in the upcoming chapters.:)) And yeah, I'm trying to stay realistic, or as realistic as possible when you have characters with magical powers.;)**

 **QueenIcelandia-Thank you!:)**

 **Awesomewolf-Elsa will be fine...she _is_ fine.:) (Like, inside, I mean. She's not all panicky and depressed or anything...:/) You read ALL of my Frozen stories?! YAY! :D I'm glad you caught the little 'connections' between each story, lol.:P **

**Mandy-I'm glad you liked it!:) I think Elsa is mostly okay with what's happened to her because she thinks almost _anything_ is better than being isolated in her room unable to control her powers or talk to Anna. Which is true.:/ I've already got the plot all worked out, and I'm not going to give a bunch of spoilers.:P Just, um...don't be surprised either way? How's that?:) Lol, that's funny. XD My sister and I never did it (although I'm sure we would have...:P), but I just thought it seemed like something little Anna and little Elsa would do if they had access to it.:P That's totally fine; I understand.:) Weak internet is a pain in the butt.:P**

 **On to the story!:) (BTW, sorry this chapter is so long.:/ I just, um...wanted it all in one chapter.:))**

"Where is Elsa?" Agdar asked his wife. "Is she angry or something?"

Idun frowned at Agdar and nodded toward the stairs. "Elsa asked Anna to take her upstairs. But she's not angry." _Even if she does have full rights to be angry…_ "I think…I think Elsa was overjoyed that you took the time to do something for her, but she got upset when she realized she's going to need help getting around. The only reason Anna carrying her doesn't bother her is because she likes being close to her sister." She paused for a moment and then asked, "Agdar, why on earth did you sign a note to your own daughter, 'Sincerely, Agdar Grieg'?! Elsa didn't care; she was just happy to get a pleasant note from you. But it's completely ridiculous!"

"Elsa just ceded an entire duchy to us. I thought that closing seemed suitable."

"So you gave her a reply you would give to any random monarch that had done that? Elsa is our _daughter_. She loves us. She didn't have to cede Weselton to us in the first place!"

"I certainly wouldn't have put 'To my brave girl' on a reply to anyone else!"

"I thought the note was nice," came Elsa's quiet voice. "It told me my daddy didn't hate me. That was enough." _That's the truth, too. I wish Dad actually accepted me for…me, but I'm so glad he doesn't hate and dislike me. That's enough for me._

Anna carried Elsa over to their father and didn't say anything. Elsa gave her father a hesitant smile and held out her hand before asking, "May I give you a hug?" _Please? It would make me happy…_

Agdar backed a couple steps away. "No hugs. I'd rather not," he said in a flat voice.

Elsa's smile faltered and she instantly jerked her hand back. "I'm…I…I'm sorry for asking, Dad," she whispered. _Well, I know Dad doesn't hate me. I'll have to be happy with that._

"That snowflake design of yours on your signet ring is on the back of the chair," Agdar said gruffly, and abruptly stalked off.

"Your father doesn't know how to apologize properly, nor does he like doing so, sweetie," Idun told Elsa.

 _No one likes apologizing because it hurts…_ Elsa's big blue eyes gazed off in the direction her father had gone. _My daddy doesn't hate me. I don't think he loves me like Anna or Mom does, but he cares about me at least a little bit. And is having my snowflake design on that wheelchair Dad's way of saying he's accepting my powers, at least that they're something that his daughter is permanently going to have? I think so…_ "Anna, you can put me down now," Elsa said softly.

The second Anna had gotten Elsa settled comfortably in her chair, Elsa's expression became mischievous as she grinned at her sister. "Are you going to push me at breakneck speed down the hall like we did to each other when we were little?" Elsa asked.

"I will if you want me to," Anna replied instantly. _I do remember doing that. We also crashed something awful!_

"I'll get double the fun now since I'll get to be pushed every time instead of taking turns," Elsa teased. "Could we do that after dinner? Please? I know it's childish, but…well, I don't care!" _Well, that's one good thing out of this. I loved playing that game with Anna until we were forbidden to do it anymore._

"Absolutely! And maybe we could-"

"Are you two out of your minds?!" Idun interrupted. "Elsa, I'm glad you don't seem so upset anymore, but that doesn't mean go play a dangerous game like that, either. I seem to remember two little princesses crashing and burning badly against a wall from doing that."

Elsa and Anna exchanged guilty glances. That was true. Their game had been permanently banned after a particularly bad crash down the stairs into a wall that left four-year-old Anna with a very badly sprained wrist and seven-year-old Elsa with a broken ankle. Elsa remembered not minding being cooped up inside all that much but that it hurt like crazy; and that Anna had reinjured her wrist by falling off the bed while jumping on it, which meant Elsa was actually the one that got better first. "Well, I daresay we would be much more careful than our younger selves," Elsa said finally.

Anna gave her mother her very best puppy-dog look. "Pretty please? It'd make Elsa happy!"

Elsa bit her lip, unsuccessfully trying to hold back her giggles. _Anna is hilarious. She's so obviously trying to use silly arguments to get Mom to say yes. I know I could just let Anna push me down the hall without any permission whatsoever, but I'd still like to have Mom's permission anyways._ "Mom, we'll be careful. Anna isn't going to dump me out of the chair or knock me over," Elsa said.

"Elsa…" _Elsa has trouble simply sitting upright on her own without falling over. I've seen her. What if she falls out? She might be hurt worse or something…_ Idun sighed. "Elsa, I just don't want to risk you getting hurt yet again, that's all." _Wait a second…I wonder if Rapunzel could help Elsa! Except…no one can cross the fjord safely right now. Too many storms…_

"I'm strapped in, so I won't fall out," Elsa countered, thinking (correctly) that her mother was concerned that she might simply fall right out. "I'll be perfectly fine. Really." _And honestly that game is about the only actual good thing I can think of about this situation. I hate this. But I'm going to be okay. I know I will, 'cause I have Anna with me._

"At the first tiny inkling that Elsa is the slightest bit tired, you stop your game and make sure she goes straight to bed, all right, Anna?" Idun said after a moment. _I can't deny Elsa approval to play a game. She has the authority to override whatever I say and she was asking permission anyway. And I have no idea what exactly is going on in her head, but Elsa is either really brave or she's still hoping she'll get better…_

Elsa smiled happily and resisted the urge to clap her hands.

* * *

At dinner, the whole family (and Kiara) ate in silence. Elsa felt like everyone was staring at her as if she might faint at any second, and it was getting on her nerves. _I'm really tired, but I don't feel like I'm about to pass out or anything…_ "I am not going to fall over and die or anything," Elsa said finally. "Also I love these ribs. Delicious. And the milk, and the peas, and the mashed potatoes, and the applesauce." Elsa knew quite well that Gerda had probably made so many dishes because she wanted Elsa to eat plenty of food and get back to her usual body weight, but Elsa didn't care. "If I eat this much food every day, I'm going to be big as a house," she announced, half laughing.

Idun frowned at her. "Elsa, you must weigh at least twenty pounds less than you're supposed to. You _need_ to gain weight." _Elsa has always been very slender, but right now she's little more than skin and bones from all that time with no food. Elsa's bones stick out, she's so tiny. She needs to eat plenty of food and drink lots of water._

"I know…I was just joking," Elsa said quickly. Elsa forced herself to stay awake by blinking rapidly several times. _I am not going to fall asleep at the dinner table. That's completely embarrassing._ She noticed her father watching her, and she asked, "What is it, Dad?"

"You belong upstairs in your room," Agdar said.

Elsa dropped her gaze to her plate and clasped her hands together in her lap. _I guess nothing changed. Dad, please don't mess with my head like that. You don't like or approve or me, but I keep hoping otherwise._ "Anna, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you please take me upstairs?" she asked quietly. _Well, I'll get to play with Anna later. That will make me feel better._

"Of course, sis. That's no bother!" Anna replied instantly. She gave Elsa's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before pushing her out of the dining hall. "I'll tell Gerda to bring your dessert upstairs for you," she told Elsa the second they were out of earshot.

"Okay," Elsa said. Her voice sounded both physically and emotionally tired. _You belong upstairs in your room…why did Dad say that? Maybe I do. I can't even really do anything without help right now, at least I feel like I can't. What if Dad just gave me that note to pacify me so I'd just go away and quit bothering him? Out of sight, out of mind._ Elsa barely reacted when Anna undid her seat belt and picked her up.

"I'll come back down for the chair," Anna explained in response to her sister's puzzled expression as she began heading upstairs. "It's all right, Elsa. I think Dad might have meant you just needed to go rest, not that you needed to stay locked in your room again."

Elsa was actually already almost completely asleep by the time Anna came to Elsa's room, so Anna decided to just put her sister to bed. She quickly helped Elsa change into her nightgown, making sure to look away and close her eyes so she embarrassed Elsa as little as possible. "I didn't look at you one bit," Anna assured her sister once Elsa was settled under the covers.

Elsa's cheeks went pink. _Anna already knew I didn't want help in the first place and that this is embarrassing to me…_ "I know you didn't 'cause I was watching you. I would've made you go away and I'd sleep in my daytime clothes if you did even by accident," she announced. _Thank you, Anna. I know it's no big deal, really, but still. I appreciate Anna respecting my privacy._

Anna gave her sister's hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise I will never, ever invade my big sister's privacy, no matter what. Pinky promise?"

Elsa giggled at that. "Pinky promise." She smiled and almost immediately dropped off to sleep. _Anna is awesome. She's the best little sister anyone could ever have._

* * *

MEANWHILE…

"Agdar, why did you tell Elsa that she belonged upstairs in her room?!" Idun demanded.

"She needed to sleep! Elsa looked like her eyes were drooping shut right at the dinner table!" Agdar said.

"Then go tell Elsa why you said that. I am a hundred percent sure Elsa took that statement as meaning that you just wanted to get rid of her."

"Elsa jumps to conclusions too easily."

Idun frowned. "Agdar, what was she supposed to think? You've always disliked her powers and we kept her isolated in her room because of it. Now the poor girl is…paralyzed besides. Elsa probably thinks that she's doubly broken in your eyes. In fact, I _know_ she does, even though she hasn't said anything."

"Just what am I supposed to say to her? 'Sorry, you belong in your room because you need to sleep right now'? And Idun, there _must_ be a way to mend Elsa's legs. I refuse to believe there isn't."

"I'm sure that's all you would need to say to make Elsa happy. Also, don't you dare get Elsa's hopes up that she'll be able to use her legs again. She seems to have reconciled herself somehow with the fact that she can't. I'll not have Elsa getting all excited only to find out that whatever the so-called cure is doesn't work." Idun wished with all her heart that there was some way to help her daughter, but she was almost certain that was impossible. At least not until spring when it was safe to be out on the water…and then only a slight possibility.

"What exactly did the doctor say about Elsa?"

"That she had a small but deep burn on her back that he believed had damaged her spinal cord somehow, which was why she couldn't move her legs or feel them. He said Elsa's injury was almost most definitely permanent, and he told me to start figuring out how to help her."

"Elsa is going to be fine," Agdar said firmly.

"Yes, Elsa will be fine mentally and emotionally. But I don't think her legs are going to get better," Idun said softly.

"She's going to be _fine_ ," Agdar repeated, and abruptly stood up and strode out of the dining hall.

Kiara just sat forgotten slumped in her chair as both adults left the room. _I wish I could help Elsa. After all, I'm the one that hurt her in the first place. But…you can't reverse damage caused by electricity, at least not mine. It's scientifically impossible. I've tried to before, in fact, and just caused more damage instead. Now I have to live with what I did to my best friend. Well, I can help Elsa a tiny bit anyways. Like bring her a book she wants to read and stuff like that._

* * *

Elsa jerked awake when she heard voices shouting. "Mom…Dad…Anna?" she asked sleepily. _What's going on?_

"You're gonna make her upset, Dad! Please leave Elsa alone," Anna begged.

"Elsa won't mind," Agdar insisted.

"I won't mind what?" Elsa asked in confusion. "What is going on?!"

"Dad wants you to try to move, like wiggle your toes or something. I tried to tell him you can't, but he won't listen," Anna explained, hugging her sister tightly when she sat up.

Elsa tilted her head to one side as she looked up at her father. "I'll try," she said softly. _But I'm pretty sure I can't. And yet it can't hurt to try._ She tossed the covers off and promptly fell over; and Anna helped her sit back up leaning against the pillows. Elsa stared intently at her bare toes, as if that would help get them to move. _Come on, Elsa…maybe you can just wiggle your toes. Because if you can do that, then maybe you'll get all the way better eventually._ Try as she might, Elsa could not get her toes to react to her mind's orders at all. It just plain didn't work. "Dad…I don't think this is working…"

"You can do it, Elsa! Just try harder!"

Elsa tried again…and again. And again. _I can't do this. I don't know why I can't, but it's impossible._ Elsa's blue eyes began filling with frustrated tears as her father kept insisting that she could too do it. Finally she just couldn't deal with it anymore. "Dad, I _can't_! I can't wiggle my toes; I can't move my legs. They don't work anymore! I'm paralyzed, okay?! Just…please accept it and leave me alone. _Please!_ " Elsa's palms crackled with ice, and she clasped her hands together close against her chest. _Calm down, Elsa. This isn't your fault. Calm down. Calm down, calm down, calm down._

Idun pulled her husband out of Elsa's room. "Look what you just did," she whispered. "Elsa was perfectly content, and you made her get upset. Why is it that Elsa is the one that's hurt and she's telling her own father to accept it?!"

"My daughter is not a cripple!" Agdar hissed back. _Elsa is going to be fine…isn't she? She_ has _to be. She has to._

"Agdar, what a rotten thing to say! You'd like Elsa perfectly fine if she had been born crippled instead of getting hurt; I know you would. She's the same girl inside. I hate seeing Elsa injured like that, but she's still _Elsa._ Good grief, and I know what proves that too. She wants Anna to push her at breakneck speed down the hall in that wheelchair like they did to each other when they were little!" Idun exclaimed.

"Didn't they get hurt doing that, if I remember correctly?" Agdar asked. "Never mind answering that, I am quite sure they did. Elsa must be insane! Why on earth would she want to do that again?!"

"Because she's Elsa, and I imagine she probably thinks that's a mighty fine joke that we banned that game from her and Anna so long ago, and now she has full rights to play it over and over as much as she wants."

* * *

Inside Elsa's room, Anna just kept her arm securely wrapped around her sister's thin shoulders as Elsa kept unsuccessfully attempting to move her toes while tears trickled down her cheeks. "Anna, I just _can't_. It just plain doesn't work," she whispered. "Please fix me so Dad will like m-me better… _please_ …" _Elsa, you know Anna can't do that. You're being illogical. Calm down. You cannot walk, and that's that. You need help._

 _I don't like needing help._

 _Well, tough luck, Snow Queen Elsa of Arendelle. You at least need plenty of help until next week. Then you can use your powers to just help yourself. Quit causing so much drama._

 _I am not causing drama. I'm just upset!_

 _You mean you're being overly emotional. Get it together, Elsa._

 _Shut up. I can handle my own emotions now…most of the time._ Elsa found herself lecturing herself in her mind; one part insisting on being logical and the other part of her, the emotion-based part, wanting to completely break down in tears.

Anna's heart broke for Elsa at her plaintive request. _Why is it that my sweet big sister is always the one that gets the short end of the stick? It's not fair!_ "Elsa, let's not try this anymore. I can't 'fix' your legs, but you just remember you'll _never_ need fixing to me. I love you just like you are," Anna said firmly as she gently pulled the covers back over her sister's motionless legs. Remembering two things that would probably perk Elsa up and make her feel better, Anna settled her sister back against the pillows and ran off, saying that she would be right back.

Elsa knew she wasn't supposed to be purposely using her powers at the moment, but she made her signature ice snowflake between her palms and just stared at it the second Anna had left the room. The familiar sight and the pleasant sensation of pure cold running through her fingertips comforted her and helped her calm down. _Ironic. The very thing that I used to hate and terrified me actually makes me feel better right now._ Elsa smiled as she slumped against the pillows and worked her magic, turning her room into a sparkling winter wonderland. Tiny snowflakes floated down from the shimmering icy ceiling. Swirls of ice gracefully decorated the walls. _Elsa, stop your interior decorating. You're exhausted and you're going to make yourself sick._

Elsa stopped what she was doing and wrestled herself back under the covers sprawled flat on her back. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt snowflakes gently falling down on her face. _No one would like sleeping in this room but me, but I don't care. This is perfect. I can't wait until Anna gets back so I can show her._

Anna walked into Elsa's sparkling icy wonderland a minute later holding a blanket and a box of chocolates and stopped in her tracks. _Elsa did all this in just that bit of time I was gone! She's not supposed to use her powers 'til she gets stronger, but…this is awesome. It's like Elsa has a tiny ice palace right here in her room. But she shouldn't have done that!_ "Elsa?" she called softly as she tiptoed over to her sister. "D'you want some chocolate?"

Elsa didn't respond because she was fast asleep. A contented smile graced her face. No one would have guessed that she had been so upset a few minutes before.

The room was far too cold for Anna to stay in it comfortably for any length of time, so she gently brushed a stray wisp of platinum hair out of Elsa's face before whispering good night in her sister's ear and tiptoeing away. _I'll give these chocolates to Elsa tomorrow morning. I'm not going to wake her up now. She needs to sleep. And her room…it's amazing! I know Elsa's powers aren't anywhere near their strongest potential right now, and she still did all that!_

* * *

Anna ran to her parents' room and barged in. "Mom, Dad, you gotta see how Elsa decorated her room! It looks so pretty! But be super quiet, 'cause she's sleeping and I don't want to wake her up."

"How could Elsa have decorated her room when she can't even get up by herself?" Agdar asked.

"I imagine the naughty girl put ice decorations all over the place," Idun said, shaking her head. "Elsa wouldn't have needed to get up at all to do that. Anna, is your sister all right? I know she wasn't supposed to be using her powers for a week until she was stronger."

Anna nodded. "I think it just tired Elsa out. I went to get something for a minute, and when I came back Elsa was fast asleep in a sparkling icy room. I think decorating her room made her happy, though. She's actually smiling."

"Anna, you keep an eye on her and don't let her do that again," Agdar said firmly. "Not only is she playing with those powers of hers and messing up her room, she's going to make herself sick. There's quite enough things wrong with Elsa already."

Anna scowled and balled her hands into fists at her sides. "There is nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , wrong with my big sister!" she announced with certainty. _I love her just the way she is. Elsa is brave and strong; she's the nicest person in the world; and she's super smart. I think Elsa is perfect._

"Elsa was born with dangerous ice powers and now her legs are paralyzed; and you tell me there's nothing wrong with her?!"

"Dad, Elsa's ice powers aren't dangerous. She knows how to control them now. And yes, Elsa can't walk now and I don't want to accept it either, but she's still just plain _Elsa._ Elsa needs us- _all of us_ -to love her for who she is, not what she can or can't do." Anna paused for a moment and looked to her mother for help. _I know that's the truth. I know it is. Elsa will always be my big sister. I love her._

"Anna is right, Agdar. Don't you think it's been long enough trying to force Elsa to be the girl you want her to be and let her be just plain Elsa?" Idun asked.

" 'Just plain Elsa' is defective…"

Anna was seething. "Dad, you did NOT just say that. Tell me you didn't just say that! Elsa is the best, most perfect person I know! She is _not_ defective! Elsa has a sweet and lively personality-okay, she's not lively when she's in a crowd, but otherwise she is. Elsa forgives everyone that hurts her and she doesn't hold grudges. I think the only things that could be considered bad about her are that she's stubborn and that she's way too hard on herself. Okay, and she can't deal with being around a zillion people for an extended period of time. But that's it!" _Is that why Elsa called herself that so often before? Because she heard Dad call her that?!_

"Not Elsa's personality, Anna. She is perfectly fine that way; I think she's exceedingly smart politically and such. She's defective physically, that's what," Agdar explained.

Anna stomped out of the room and slammed the door, not wanting to listen anymore. _Well, that's still rotten and stupid, but at least Dad does like and care about Elsa somewhat. He even completely approves of her monarchial skills. I should tell Elsa all this tomorrow morning. I bet it would actually make her happy._

* * *

Elsa awoke in the morning feeling drained but mostly happy. _I shouldn't have decorated my room with ice last night, but…but I'm not sorry I did it. No more playing with your powers, Elsa!_ she scolded herself. "Just 'til next week. Then I will as much as I like," Elsa said aloud.

"Talking about your powers, Elsa?" Anna asked. "I think you already broke the doctor's orders, you silly. But you look way happier this morning. And your room looks so pretty!" She ran over to her sister's closet and opened the doors. "What dress do you want, sis?"

"My original ice-dress, please." Elsa was still fascinated with the fact that it was impossible for her ice-fabric to become dirty or wear out. She had been wearing that dress for all the time she and Anna had been missing, and the ice-dress was just as blue and sparkly and shimmery as the day she made it.

"That dress is too big for you right now," Anna pointed out. "Why don't you save that 'til you gain some weight? You have a closetful of other dresses here, and it's cold outside now, so you won't get too hot in a winter dress."

Elsa scowled in annoyance. "Those are all going to be too big too. I want my ice-dress!" _Well, some of my ordinary dresses lace up the back, so Anna could probably get those to fit better…but I'm not telling her that._

"Wear this one," Anna decided, holding up a steel blue long sleeve dress. "This one laces up the back, so it'll fit you better. That ice-dress doesn't even stay up on your shoulders properly right now-I saw it."

"It's not _supposed_ to stay up on my shoulders, Anna. The neckline is supposed to sit right here," Elsa said, tracing where the neckline of her ice-dress should be on her shoulders with one finger. "Give me my dress, please, or I'll come get it myself!" she threatened, forgetting for the moment that she couldn't do any such thing. _Why on earth did you say that, Elsa?! You can't get it yourself. You can once you can do the air current thing again, but not right now._

"You can't get it yourself! You can't walk and you can barely even sit up on your own without help!" Anna retorted. "I don't understand how someone could forget something like that."

Elsa bit her lip and shook her head to keep from crying. _I know that, Anna. Quit reminding me. I can deal with it, but don't make such a big deal out of it and keep reminding me about it._

Anna felt awful for making her sister upset, but she took the chance to get Elsa into a daytime dress since Elsa was sure to put up a fuss the second she was un-upset. Elsa let Anna put the steel blue dress on her, but she made no effort to help herself because that was _not_ the dress she wanted, and she was still slightly upset about Anna's comments, even if they were just facts. The only thing Elsa did was make sure her sister didn't look at her, even by accident.

"Elsa, you quit that!" Anna complained after her sister made no attempt to stay sitting up and not tip over while Anna laced up the back of her dress for the fourth time in a row. _Why am I fussing at Elsa?! She didn't do anything; she just wanted her 'signature' dress. I must have made her really upset if she isn't trying to do anything on her own._ "I'm sorry," Anna said softly. "What I said wasn't very nice..."

Elsa stayed slumped on her side, her legs dangling limply off the edge of the bed, but she smiled a bit when Anna gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's okay, Anna. I was probably being a bit childish about my ice-dress; I know it doesn't fit right at the moment. I just wanted to wear it anyways, I suppose." _Elsa, sit up and let Anna fix the back of your dress. Now. You're acting immature._

"Well, if it doesn't fit better by next week, just make a new ice-dress," Anna suggested as she quickly finished lacing up her sister's dress. "You do look perfectly fine in this one, though. Very dignified and queen-ish."

"You mean stuffy and boring, don't you?" Elsa teased as Anna picked her up and carefully set her back down in the wheelchair. She glanced down at her bare feet and frowned, suddenly remembering something. _When we visited the trolls with Rapunzel, Grand Pabbie said it was a physical impossibility for me to lose my powers and that my arm was hurting just because it didn't heal right. That means there still has to be a way to channel my powers through my legs even though they're messed up, right?_ "Anna? Do you mind if I ask your opinion on something? And I can fix my own hair, thank you," she added, swiping the hairbrush from her sister.

Anna stuck out her tongue and plopped down in Elsa's desk chair. "Sure. What is it?"

"Do you think it's remotely possible that I can still channel my powers through my legs somehow? I was just remembering what Grand Pabbie said when we visited the trolls with Rapunzel," Elsa explained as she brushed her hair. "I mean, if I _can_ do that, then there's a tiny chance that my legs might get better eventually too, right?"

Anna frowned. Elsa's logic seemed sound, but Anna didn't want Elsa to get all excited for nothing, either. "I have no idea, Elsa. You could always just try, though…" _Elsa, a broken arm that didn't heal correctly isn't the same thing as crippled legs. And I don't want to be the one to tell you that._

"I just thought it might be a foolish hope because the logical part of me says that it's impossible to use ice powers with something you can't feel, let alone physically move," Elsa said. "Never mind. I've talked myself out of it. I'll not get my heart set on such a farcical notion." She quickly put her hair in her usual signature single braid and shrugged at her reflection. _Well, it was a nice thought, Elsa. Move on and let it go._

Anna suddenly jumped to her feet and grinned. "Elsa, you just reminded me of something when you mentioned Rapunzel! I'll bet she could help you! I _know_ she could heal all those bruises on your arms and those awful marks on your wrists," she said, frowning at Elsa's still-bandaged wrists. "And maybe she could help your legs, too! I don't know for sure, but that's definitely a possibility!"

Elsa considered the idea for a moment before starting to frown. "It isn't safe to be out on the fjord this time of year, though. It's starting to ice over in places, and there are too many storms…" _I wish we could at least test Anna's idea…my ice-copter! Anna and I could go in it next week…no, that might be safer than via water, but there are still going to be storms…_ Elsa heard a knock on her door and called, "Come in."

* * *

Kiara walked in with Elsa's two small snow creatures waddling behind her. "Snow Queen Elsa, I've been talking with Olaf and Rania, and we got an idea we think you might like," she announced. _Whoa, what did Elsa do in here?! It's freezing! And super, super cool and awesome._

Elsa looked at her young friend expectantly. "And what might that be?"

"Well, firstly, Rania told me your cousin from Corona, I don't remember her name or know where that is exactly, has healing powers. Then Olaf remembered I can use electricity to teleport places. So…what if I either took you to Corona or brought your cousin here?" Kiara made her proposition. "Oh, and secondly…Anna told me about that racing game you guys played in the hall when you were little. Can I have a ride once if you play it later?"

Elsa laughed at that. _That's the very idea Anna and I were talking about!_ "Your idea is perfect except for one thing. How are you going to teleport to a place you've never been to? And yes, Kiara, you may have a ride if Anna and I play that game later." _I wonder if Kiara is on to something, though…but I don't want everyone to go to all this trouble on my account just to discover it was all for naught._

"It works on my thoughts, not geotraphy stuff. Can we at least try?" Kiara asked.

"Geo _gra_ phy," Elsa corrected. "Kiara, I'm not sure about this. I don't want my cousin-her name is Rapunzel, by the way-to feel like I'm just trying to use her. It's just…rude, and-"

Elsa was interrupted when Anna suddenly started shaking her by the shoulders. "For goodness sakes, Elsa, what is wrong with you?! What are you thinking?! You're just sitting there and can't walk, and you're worried about making Rapunzel feel like you're just using her! You're crazy! But I love you," Anna finished as she gave her sister a hug. "Elsa, you _know_ Rapunzel won't think any such thing. She'd be glad to help you. And besides, we still don't know for sure if she could heal your legs or not. I think we should at least try."

"Well…okay…" Elsa said after a moment, although she privately decided in her mind that she was _not_ going to let herself get all excited only to be disappointed.

* * *

After a short silence, Elsa said, "Anna, I'll bet that little pool we used to go swimming in when we were little will freeze over naturally soon…do you want to go ice s-" Elsa dropped her gaze to her lap and sighed, suddenly realizing that activity was _not_ going to work anymore. _That was something I know we were both looking forward to this winter, and now I've messed it up._ "I'm sorry, Anna," she added softly. "Maybe you could go with Kiara or something instead." Elsa felt tears burning behind her eyes and blinked rapidly to make them go away.

Anna sent Kiara a rather venomous look. "I don't want to go ice skating with Kiara, Elsa," she said firmly. "I want to go with you!" She glared at Kiara, who glared back but quickly left the room. Anna went to shut the door; then came back over to Elsa and simply picked her up. She plopped down in the comfy chair in the corner, still holding Elsa close.

Elsa hid her face in her sister's shoulder but didn't cry. _It's okay. Maybe Rapunzel will be able to help me and then I don't need to worry about this at all. And if not, we could always go up to the pool and I could just watch Anna skate. At least we would be together. That would be enough. Wait a second…_ Elsa suddenly perked up as she picked her head up off Anna's shoulder and smiled. "Anna, do you remember how I made us slide around the ballroom when we were little? I'll bet if I do the same thing now, I could come skating with you whether Rapunzel is able to fix my legs or not. I mean, it wouldn't be _exactly_ the same, but I'd at least be able to be out on the ice with you, even if I'm sitting in the chair."

Anna caught Elsa's hands before she could experiment with her idea right that second. "Elsa, your idea is great, but no more magic! No more powers for you 'til next week. You shouldn't have decorated your room last night, even if it does look terrific," she scolded.

Elsa teased her sister by pouting for a moment, but then her expression brightened and she just hugged Anna herself. "Thank you for simply _caring_ about me," she said softly. "It doesn't matter what happens; I know you're always there for me. That makes me happy."

* * *

"Agdar, the least you can do is tell Elsa everything," Idun said quietly. "You certainly can't hurt her any more than what you did last night did to her."

"I suppose Elsa needs more time. She's just not strong enough yet to move her legs," Agdar said.

Idun sighed. " _No_ , Agdar. Elsa does need more time to get stronger, but that is not going to heal her legs. Agdar, she can't even feel them, for goodness sakes. Please don't do anything like what you did to her yesterday again. It has to be scary and upsetting enough for her already without her father fussing at her about it. We talked about this last night. We're going to have a talk with Elsa and tell her everything."

"I've thought it over more, and I've changed my mind," Agdar said flatly.

"At least tell her the complete story about the whole Weselton thing," Idun suggested. "Elsa ceded the entire duchy to us. We owe her that much. Also, I presume that Weselton has someone in charge in place of the duke for the time being…I suppose we will have to wait until spring to move there to take charge per Elsa's orders."

"If you're going to make Elsa cry again, you can just leave her alone," Anna said firmly a short while later in the library as she jumped up and glared at her father.

Elsa bit her lip as she struggled to wheel herself between her sister and her father. _I hate this. I know I'm going to be okay-I have Anna-but I still hate this._ "Dad…Anna…please just sit down. I'd like to hear what Dad has to say. I think," she tried to be diplomatic about the whole thing.

They sat down.

Elsa waited expectantly for her father to start talking.

Anna stared angry daggers at Agdar and held Elsa's hand tightly.

Idun just sat on the sofa and said nothing.

Agdar sighed and started the story. "I presume, Elsa, that you have always thought that the Duke of Weselton was cheating Arendelle, correct?"

Elsa nodded and smiled a bit, remembering her three-year-old self being suspicious of that very thing. She remembered her little self claiming that 'he's trying to cheat on moneys!' right out loud one time.

"You were correct, and I knew it as well as you did. The documents that should have been able to prove such a thing were evidently falsified on the duke's end. Missing goods and money were kept on hand just long enough to appear legitimate. This went on for years; documents appeared to match, but both sides knew they didn't. Since Arendelle doesn't have a large military, we couldn't do anything about it, really. When you were eighteen and your mother and I went on that trip, one of the things we were doing was confronting the duke about a small loophole slip we had caught in a single trade document. We left you a copy of this document and took the original with us…"

"Dad, I never saw a document like that. And believe me, I know I would have remembered something like that, even with me…messed up and suicidal and whatever else," Elsa said, frowning. _Dad has no reason to lie to me about this, though…I think he's telling the truth._

"Of course you saw it. You just had no way of knowing it had a slipup in it, Elsa, because I didn't tell you about it. I thought you had enough to deal with without knowledge of something you couldn't fix from behind closed gates. During that storm-which I know you predicted-the _Venskabet_ sank close to Weselton and your mother and I washed ashore as the only survivors we know of. The duke's men captured us on sight and we were immediately incarcerated in a large empty cellar on the duke's expansive estate.

"Why he didn't simply have us killed I have no idea, since he obviously had no intentions of freeing us. We were even given three meals a day and basic needs like that. My guess is that if his reasoning that you would be easier to deal with failed entirely eventually, he wanted to be able to release us, as he did, on the contingency that I would retake the throne. When he released us, he told us in no uncertain terms that if you weren't off the throne within three months, he would invade Arendelle. Elsa, that man hates you, both for your smarts and because of your…your abilities," Agdar finished. _She made him look like a bumbling idiot. A young girl completely outsmarted him._

Elsa gave her father a lopsided smile. "You hate my powers too, Dad," she said softly. _All this explains why Dad was so eager to get me to abdicate, though. I understand a lot better now._ "You hated my powers enough to…t-to leave me chained in the…dungeon because of them." Elsa didn't sound angry or even accusing; she just sounded sad.

Agdar sighed as he stood up and walked a few feet away, keeping his back turned. "Elsa…if you hadn't been born like you are, I would have said you're the epitome of the perfect daughter. You're smart; you're brave; you're everything Arendelle's ruler needs to be. And then there's one complication. You have those strange otherworldly ice powers. I must say I am impressed with how quickly you used your abnormality to almost instantly neutralize Weselton, however. Arendelle has no need of military force with you around…"

Elsa wasn't sure what to say. It was exceedingly obvious to her that her father didn't hate her in the least, but that he most definitely did not like her powers, even if he was impressed with her war strategy. _At least Dad doesn't hate me and cares about me at least a little bit._

* * *

"Speaking of fighting…Elsa, did you nearly kill two Weselton guards back in the summer? The duke claimed you did, but I was sure he was simply making things up until I saw how you neutralized a whole fleet of ships with no hesitation," Agdar said, turning back to face Elsa. "You're like an entire military force all on your own. Very impressive."

Anna jumped to her feet, her cheeks red with suppressed anger. "Elsa wouldn't do any such thing! Of course that stupid dumb-head was making things up!" she exclaimed. "Just look at her! Does that" Anna pointed at her sister, "look like a…a…a killer?!"

"Y-yes…" Elsa stammered almost inaudibly. Tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her lap as she remembered those Weselton guards invading her ice palace…chasing her up the steps…trapping her in the large room with the snowflake-encrusted floor on the second level of what she had thought was her own safe place of refuge. Elsa remembered only too well her own heart pounding in terror and then her fright giving way to intense anger. _I turned into a monster. There had to have been something wrong with me if Hans was the one who stopped me from what I was doing._

 _You lashed out in self-defense, Elsa. And Hans dropped a heavy chandelier on you,_ a logical voice tried to remind her.

"Elsa, what's the matter?" Anna asked in concern. She laid a comforting hand on her sister's knee; then remembered Elsa couldn't even feel it and gave Elsa's shoulder a gentle squeeze instead. "What happened?" _What happened that made Elsa get all upset like this?!_

Elsa buried her face in her hands as her hunched shoulders shook with sobs and snowflakes floated down around her. "It's…true," she choked out. "I…I'm…that is…my ice palace…I was t-terrified, and…and…I lost control…wanted to kill me…I'm a monster…my chandelier fell…it _hurt_ …woke up ch-chained…dungeon….I…I'm _so sorry_! Anna…I don't…I don't deserve-" _I don't deserve Anna's love or care. I did almost kill two people. How could I almost completely forget about that?!_ Elsa had managed to shove that memory into the deepest recesses of her mind, but now it was painfully yanked out and taunting her months later. "My hands should have been paralyzed along with my legs!" Elsa nearly shouted as she stared down at her hands and her useless legs. "That's what I deserve for what I did!"

Anna didn't quite understand exactly what had happened, but she definitely understood those last two heartbreaking sentences Elsa had said. _If I understand correctly, Elsa nearly killed two people in self-defense. That's not wrong at all! And I think…Elsa's big ice chandelier fell on her, knocking her out, and she woke up chained in the dungeon? That's horrible!_ She quickly scooped her sister up, but Elsa pushed herself out of Anna's arms and fell to the floor.

Elsa just lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, crying her heart out. She was sure none of her family would want to have anything to do with her anymore because of what she had done. And even if they did, a girl who would have killed people if she hadn't been stopped didn't deserve to be loved. _What's wrong with me? I can't do anything right. Anna shouldn't care about me after I told her that…she shouldn't have tried to hold me. Why would she do that?! I froze her, literally froze her to death!_

 _It was an accident, Elsa._

 _I still did it all the same!_ Elsa's distressed mind suddenly fastened itself on another thing. She was upset. Upset Elsa was dangerous. "Go…away…Anna," Elsa said slowly. "Don't…touch…me…" Not knowing where else she could go, Elsa dragged herself under the sofa and refused to come out. She would stay there until everyone left her alone. _I wish I could get to my room. I can't…_

* * *

Anna was horrified as she glanced from her parents and back to Elsa. She saw pure fear written all over her father's face, and her mother was crying herself. _Mom and Dad aren't going to help. I have to help Elsa myself._ Anna considered simply moving the sofa, but then thought that would be awfully mean to Elsa since it took away her hiding place and Elsa physically couldn't get it back. She finally just knelt next to the sofa and began talking softly to her sister. "Elsa…I didn't understand everything you said, but I'm pretty sure you nearly killed two people in self-defense. That isn't wrong. You know that."

Elsa peeked at Anna through her fingers covering her face. "I got angry," she whispered pitifully.

Encouraged that Elsa had actually responded, Anna reached under the sofa and pulled one of Elsa's cold hands away from her face. "Don't you think that's a normal response if people are trying to attack you? Those people invaded your ice palace and attacked you unprovoked, right?" Anna asked.

"But I froze Arendelle."

Anna took her sister's other hand too and held them both tightly. "Elsa, tell me exactly what happened, clearly this time. I promise I won't hate you for whatever happened, and I _know_ you weren't to blame."

Elsa wasn't ready to leave her cramped hiding spot, but she did start explaining to Anna. _Elsa, talk to your sister. It helps. You should have told her this months ago, right after the Great Thaw._ "Two Weselton guards attacked me in the ice palace after you left…after Marshmallow threw you and Kristoff out. I tried to get them to leave me alone…I felt…t-terrified…they followed me upstairs and trapped me in the big room with the chandelier overhead. Anna, I…I…they wouldn't go away…they were trying to shoot me with crossbows…and I finally got really angry and nearly shoved one of them off the balcony with an ice wall and had the other pinned against the room's wall with icicles…that Hans came running in just as I was about to…finish them off. 'Don't be the monster they fear you are…' I realized just what I was doing, stopped…and…and then the next thing I knew my chandelier was about to fall on me." Elsa paused as she tried to calm herself down. "I woke up chained in the castle dungeon," she finished quietly. _Maybe I didn't do anything as terrible as I thought I did, but I shouldn't have gotten so angry like that…_

"Elsa, can I help you out from under there now?" Anna asked, still holding her sister's hands. She quickly pulled Elsa out the second she nodded. Anna just held Elsa close and said nothing for a minute. _Elsa must have been too terrified to tell me or anyone else about this at first, and then managed to stuff it away in her 'bad memories bin' in her mind._ "It's all right, Elsa," she whispered. _She's trembling…not badly, but she is all the same…_

"Defending yourself is a morally correct choice, Elsa. Get it together," Agdar said firmly. "I do not support you using those…abilities of yours, but it sounds like you had no other choice. What you did was not wrong. Where are the men who attacked you now?" _I am quite sure killing Elsa would not fix the mess she had made anyway…what imbeciles to jump to that conclusion._

"I sent them back to Weselton," Elsa said softly, still shaking slightly in her sister's arms. _Calm down, Elsa. Even Dad isn't mad at you for what you did. It's okay…isn't it? I still shouldn't have resorted to almost killing them…_

Idun knelt next to her daughters and just hugged both of them tightly. Snowflakes still floated down slowly around Elsa, but then abruptly ceased. _Elsa must be calm again, even if she isn't happy. She isn't going to freeze me or Anna…it's safe._ She had never seen Elsa get upset like that in her life. "Elsa…you are _not_ a monster. I see a sweet young girl who's been convinced of a rotten lie about herself. For one thing, a monster would not have said she wished her hands were paralyzed along with her legs because of something she did that actually wasn't even wrong." Idun bit her lip against her own tears, thinking of all those lies Elsa must have believed about herself since she was little that would have led her to a conclusion like that. Ones Elsa's own parents fed her simply by keeping her isolated in her room. _What did Agdar and I do to her? She's been…damaged inside, and it's half my fault. No one can completely erase all those years of hurting so much inside. Elsa wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place if we had just loved and cared for her when she was little because she would have known how to control her abilities…_

Elsa somehow sensed her mother was crying and tried to wiggle out of her sister's and mother's arms. "Mom…Mama…please don't cry," she said quietly. _But it's true. I'm not a monster. I did make a mistake, but I'm not a monster. I'm okay._ "Anna?" Elsa asked when she felt herself being picked up and then set back down a few seconds later on her mother's lap on the sofa.

Anna didn't reply, but she smiled at Elsa and then practically dragged her father out of the library. "Dad, let Mom and Elsa be for now. Please?"

Agdar glanced back into the library for a moment, hesitated, and then just strode off down the hall without a word. Seeing Elsa lose control like that was downright unnerving, but…the girl had been crying her heart out. Didn't she have the right to have emotions just like every other human being on the planet? _No, Elsa can't afford to do that. She's dangerous and abnormal. But…Elsa tried to hide under a sofa! She is twenty-one, not three! I saw her handle politics and take care of an invasion with no problems whatsoever. She didn't lose control when that boy Hans who fancies himself a king tried to beat up on her. A simple memory made her lose control. A memory of something she did that wasn't even wrong._ Agdar paused in front of the snowflake-painted door of Elsa's room before slowly pushing the door open.

Ice swirled over the wall and the ceiling shimmered and sparkled. Tiny snowflakes floated down from seemingly no source, but strangely enough, Elsa's floor wasn't buried in snow. _This room is_ not _a mess. I've seen Elsa completely ravage this room with ice before when she lost control. This looks like a professional interior decorator's work, if one ignores the fact that there are snowflakes falling out of nowhere and disappearing before they reach the ground._ Agdar just stayed standing in the doorway, staring at Elsa's ice decorations.

Anna ran off in search of Kiara. _I want to see if we can somehow get Rapunzel here without telling Elsa and surprise her. That would be perfect!_

* * *

Back in the library, Idun held Elsa securely on her lap, not wanting to let go of her. "Elsa, please tell me if you don't want to be held anymore. I don't want you to feel like your mother is treating you like a baby," she told Elsa. _Even if you are_ my _baby. Elsa is always going to be my little girl. I didn't treat her properly before, so I'll do everything possible to love and take care of her now._

"I don't like _needing_ help, but I do like my mommy actually being willing to hold me," Elsa said softly. _I sound like a three-year-old. But it's the truth._ "I think…I'm not sure how to explain myself…I think it makes the bits of me inside that are still…damaged…it makes them hurt less? I don't know. I probably sound like an idiot. I still don't know how to explain my own feelings very well." _That's the understatement of the year, Elsa. You can identify your own general emotions okay now, but you're terrible at explaining them. You need more practice._ Elsa smiled a bit as she struggled to sit up on her own. "But I don't think it matters. I'm happy now. I have my sister and my mother. And Dad doesn't hate me anyways. That's more than enough for me."

Idun frowned. "What do you mean by calling yourself 'damaged', sweetie?" _She's talking about her mind and heart…not physically. Why did I ask her that?!_

"Emotionally," Elsa replied matter-of-factly. "Maybe mentally too, if you consider that a separate thing. But I'm okay now. I think I'm still a little girl in some ways…I mean, look at what my reaction was when I got upset. I hid under the sofa!" Elsa suddenly realized how silly she must have looked, grown girl twenty-one years old hiding under the sofa bawling; and began giggling. _What on earth was I thinking?!_ "Although I suppose it was mostly because I couldn't just run off somewhere by myself, and under the furniture was as alone as I could get." She glanced at her mother, still half-giggling, and asked, "Well, don't you think it was at least a _little bit_ funny? Now that I'm not upset and…losing control anymore?"

"No, Elsa, I do _not_ find that funny," Idun said firmly. "My daughter feeling so upset that she was shaking and decided to hide under the sofa since she couldn't walk to retreat elsewhere is not funny!" _Elsa's sense of humor is rather lacking. Good grief. At least she made herself happy again though._

This didn't particularly upset Elsa; she knew her little sister sometimes didn't think her self-deprecating sense of humor was funny either. "Well, is this funny?" Elsa asked, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "When do two twos not equal four?"

"You made up that joke when you were tiny, Elsa," Idun remembered, smiling at Elsa.

"When one of them is negative," Elsa delivered her silly punch line and grinned. That was true. She had made up that riddle the day after learning about negative numbers.

Idun thought Elsa's smile was bright enough to light up a room. So many times she had seen Elsa either completely unreadable or, she now knew for certain, upset or terrified. Elsa's big blue eyes were expressive. She noticed nearly invisible freckles sprinkled across Elsa's fair cheeks, and then realized with a pang that she had never really noticed that Elsa even had freckles at all before. _Elsa is a beautiful girl. I know most parents probably say that about their children, but Elsa really is. She has a unique look about her without being overly dramatic about it._

"Mom, what are you looking at?" Elsa asked now. She glanced around the library and then frowned. "Where did Dad and Anna go?"

"You. You should have all the boys lining up for you," Idun told her. "And your sister practically dragged your father out of here. I think she wanted you and me to have some mother daughter time for a little while."

Elsa scowled, and her cheeks turned pink. "I don't want a boyfriend, Mom. I wouldn't want him meddling with my political and government affairs. And even if I did, I doubt any boy would want anything to do with a girl who can't walk and has ice powers. He'd just be after the authority I have in Arendelle," she said with certainty. _That's cynical, but it's true. I'm sure it is._

"Elsa, you would just make him your king consort. You would retain all the authority that way. Granted, that wouldn't keep him from attempting to influence your decisions unofficially, but he couldn't force you to do anything." Idun paused and hugged Elsa tightly. "And if any boy doesn't like you because of those things, he doesn't deserve to have you."

Elsa had known about the whole king consort thing, but she still thought the whole thing would hamper all her 'queen business' and just cause trouble. _Even if there was some boy I liked, I will not risk messing up Arendelle for something like that. I'm fine on my own._

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**

 **P.S. To anyone reading 'The Coming Storm', I'm sorry I'm taking so long with the final chapter.:P I'm still working on it!:) A certain someone's speech is not seeming to come out right.:P (Yes, you, Elsa...:)) Too formal, too informal, too short, too long, etc.:P I promise the chapter IS coming!**


	22. Magical Deductions

**HAPPY NATIONAL ROLLER COASTER DAY, EVERYONE! :) (Yes, there really is such a thing on August 16...now moving on...:P)**

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol, I thought it was about time.;) Anna still doesn't like Kiara, but she's being nice because Elsa told her to be.:P Plus Kiara's the only one who could bring Rapunzel to Arendelle, so...:) Lol at sprinkles in a confetti gun. XD I'll go edit that...and yes, I am quite sure Anna thinks "Elsa's boyfriend" would be a Thank you!:)**

 **princessdianaofparadiseisland-Hi sis! Well, Elsa likes her ice-dress. Give her a break.:) Elsa is not getting married in my stories EVER, so quit asking about it in real life. She's fine by herself.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"I want to surprise Elsa," Anna whispered late that night. "Wouldn't it be just awesome if Elsa could just wake up in the morning perfectly fine?"

Rapunzel, who Kiara had easily teleported back to Arendelle with her, just frowned. "Elsa will probably wake up the second I start singing, Anna…but I'll try," she whispered back.

Kiara hung back in the doorway as the other two girls tiptoed over to Elsa. _I hope this works. At least part of the damage I caused would be erased. I can't give Elsa back those several weeks her and Anna were missing, though…_

Sure enough, Elsa jerked awake the second Rapunzel began singing and promptly screamed. "Get out of my room! I'll freeze you where you stand!" Elsa struggled to sit up and then held out one hand, despite the fact that she was not supposed to be using her powers at the moment. _Who's in my room?! I can't even run out of here. I don't know how long my powers will actually hold out…_

Anna fumbled to light the lamp on her sister's nightstand. "Elsa, it's just me. Me, Anna! It's all right. Nobody's trying to hurt you," she said quickly.

Elsa blinked a few times and then just stared at Rapunzel. _Oh. Kiara must have brought Rapunzel back to Arendelle. I'm such a fool. What did I start screaming for?!_ "Why are you two sneaking into my room in the middle of the night?" she asked finally.

"Well, the plan was that I'd heal you and you'd wake up in the morning all better," Rapunzel explained. "But you woke up instead. That's all. I gotta get back to Corona before morning though, 'cause my parents don't even know I'm gone."

Elsa spotted Kiara still standing in the doorway and gestured for her to come in too. Elsa's blue eyes were filled with mischief at her next suggestion. "I seem to remember a certain racing game that would be all the more entertaining with three friends instead of two," she announced. "Just let me go tell my parents so they don't think the castle is being haunted by banshees screaming."

Anna easily pushed her sister back against the pillows. "No, _I'll_ tell them. You just stay here and let Rapunzel help you. Besides, it would take you forever to wheel yourself down the hall."

Elsa sighed but didn't otherwise protest. _Well, it's not like I can really put up that much of a fuss anyway, I suppose._

Rapunzel gave her cousin a big hug. "I'm glad I'm getting to see you and Anna again, but I don't like _why_ ," she told Elsa. _Elsa is, like, WAY too little right now. But she's still Elsa. I wish I'd gotten to make friends with her long time ago, too._

* * *

"'Kay, I told 'em," Anna announced a few minutes later as she ran back into Elsa's room. "They weren't exactly thrilled, but they weren't mad. I ran downstairs and told Kai and Gerda, too, just in case we get too loud. And-" She glanced from one disappointed face to another. "Hey, what's wrong, you guys? It didn't work?" _Duh, it didn't work. Elsa wouldn't be sitting in that wheelchair if it had worked._

Elsa gave her sister a lopsided smile. "My arms aren't all black and blue, and I don't need my wrists bandaged anymore," she said, holding out both arms for Anna to see. "All back to normal. And I feel stronger, but Rapunzel couldn't actually put the weight back on me. That would be rather creepy! And my ice doesn't feel so depleted inside either. It doesn't feel quite as strong as it ordinarily would, but it's much, much better." Elsa just announced all of the good things, ignoring the one thing that Rapunzel hadn't been able to fix.

"We were just trying to think of why I couldn't heal Elsa's legs too when you came in," Rapunzel said quietly. "Any ideas? I was thinking maybe it'd just take several tries to do it since it was something regular doctors can't fix, but I tried four times and _nothing_ changed. Elsa wondered if that little burn on her back disappeared, and even that didn't change. I don't get it. At the very least, that burn should have disappeared since that will heal on its own eventually anyway."

Anna scowled at Kiara. "That's your fault! If Rapunzel can't fix Elsa's legs, it's impossible! You should have gotten hurt, not Elsa!"

Elsa glanced at Kiara and then her own hands and then at Rapunzel. _I think I know why it didn't work. In fact, I'm almost positive._ "Rapunzel, I think it's because Kiara hit me with her powers. I bet if my legs were paralyzed some other way, you'd have been able to fix me easily. That's why the burn didn't disappear. Because it was caused by magical powers," Elsa said, explaining her reasoning. "Kiara, come here. I know how we can prove my theory one way or the other. Can you generate a tiny, minor electrical burn? Something no worse than a bad sunburn that would heal on its own fairly easily?"

"I am not doing that on purpose!" Kiara exclaimed. "Are you insane?!"

"No, I'm being logical. Can you do what I just said?" Elsa asked again.

"Yeah."

"Then you just do that right there," Elsa said, pointing at the back of her own hand. "Look, I want to know for certain if my theory is correct. I don't like being held in suspense when there is a very simple way to test it. You do what I just said, and then Rapunzel can try to heal it. If she can, then my theory is wrong. If she can't then it is right. Case closed." Elsa gave the eleven-year-old a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Kiara. Really."

Kiara scrunched her eyes shut and touched one finger to her friend's skin. Elsa felt an overly strong sense of static electricity and then a hot pulsing sensation on the back of her hand. _Okay, maybe I regret this. That actually hurts._ Elsa bit her lip as Rapunzel held her hand and began singing again.

"Doesn't work," Elsa announced a minute later. The red mark on her hand looked no different than before her cousin had attempted to heal it. "Well, we confirmed one thing. Rapunzel, your powers don't apply to injuries caused by other magical abilities, even tiny ones like this." Elsa held up her hand. "But they can, however, easily heal more serious injuries if they were caused some other way." _Like my broken arm a couple months ago._

Rapunzel sighed and gave Elsa a hug. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I tried," she whispered in her cousin's ear. _I healed Eugene before, and I'm almost positive he actually died! I think, anyways. And I can't help Elsa…_

Elsa hadn't been particularly surprised by the whole thing; she had been _hoping_ Rapunzel would be able to fix her legs, but she hadn't gotten her heart set on it. So while Elsa did feel disappointed, she wasn't completely dejected and depressed or anything. "I'll be okay. I have my little sister with me," Elsa said softly. She pulled away from Rapunzel and gave her a smile. "Now how about that racing game in the hallway?"

* * *

Early the next morning, Elsa made her way downstairs on her own. Now that her powers were nearly back to normal, Elsa simply made an ice ramp and wheeled herself downstairs that way. _Thank you, Rapunzel. Even if Rapunzel wasn't able to fix me, she made it so I can do things by myself now much more easily. I don't have to wait 'til next week to use my powers! And I made a copy of my original ice-dress that actually fits me properly at the moment, too. I think I'll just turn it into sleeping clothes at night. That's simple enough._ Kiara had teleported Rapunzel home right after their game last night.

Elsa knocked on the door to the kitchen, knowing Gerda was probably making breakfast. Ever since Anna had given Elsa a small surprise party for her birthday back in the summer, Elsa had been wanting to do the same for Anna when _her_ birthday came. Now Elsa wanted to enlist Gerda to help her plan Anna's party. After all, it was December now, and Anna's birthday was a few days before Christmas.

Gerda finally opened the door and let Elsa in. "Miss Elsa, I _know_ it is far too early for your sister to be awake. How did you get down here?"

Elsa just grinned. "An ice ramp down the stairs. I _can_ get around using my air currents, but that keeps both hands occupied and it also uses up a lot of energy if I keep doing it for a long time," she explained. Elsa had already decided that her air currents were _very_ useful for helping her do things like getting something out of her closet or settling herself in the wheelchair, but it wasn't very practical for much else. Oh, and she would use those air currents if she wanted to get up to her ice palace by herself. _I could make an ice and snow pony or something, let my mind tell it what to do, and I could get around on my own quite easily…no, I can't make another life just for my own benefit. That's wrong and selfish. I can't create life willy-nilly…_

"Your sister told me your cousin was here last night and you were playing in the hallway upstairs. Did Princess Rapunzel help you somehow? You seem…stronger than yesterday. You don't look so tired," Gerda said, shutting the kitchen door behind Elsa.

"She fixed everything that was wrong with me except my legs. We figured out Rapunzel's healing abilities don't work on things caused by other magical powers," Elsa said as she watched her signature snowflake float over her palm.

"That little friend of yours-Kiara, is it?-hit you with electricity somehow?" Gerda asked with a frown. _That's how Elsa lost the use of her legs? Why is Elsa letting Kiara stay around?!_

Elsa dropped her snowflake in surprise at the hard tone in Gerda's voice. "Gerda, Kiara didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident," she said quickly.

"Miss Elsa, that girl is Hans's little sister. Just how much of an _accident_ was it? What happened exactly? The truth now." Gerda sat down in a chair at the small kitchen table and waited for Elsa's reply.

"Hans brainwashed her," Elsa said slowly. "He said he would get her back in good graces with their family if she helped him. I think Kiara realized just how much of a lie she had been told after she hit me. Anna had escaped from where we were being held, but she came back for me. She was trapped inside a force field, and then…Luthor told Kiara to shock Anna if I didn't agree to help him in ten seconds. I didn't know what to do since I couldn't use my hands, so I…I jumped in front of Anna so Kiara wouldn't shock her. And she ended up hitting me instead. But Kiara didn't even really want to hurt either one of us. I could tell from her expression." Elsa tried to defend her friend as much as she could while still telling the truth, but even Elsa had to admit that it hadn't exactly been an accident so much as something Kiara had purposely done, but under duress.

"What you just told me is not an accident," Gerda said firmly. "Miss Elsa, why on earth are you letting Kiara stay around like this?! I understand she helped you and Anna retake Arendelle, but…"

"But she's sorry for what she did and everyone deserves a second chance," Elsa replied. She reached for Gerda's hand and held on tightly. "You took care of me when Hans brought me back to Arendelle after I froze everything. You told me you tried to have me put in my own room, and when that wasn't allowed, you yourself put me in the dungeon so you'd know I would be safe. You left me a note that helped give me the tiny bit of confidence I needed to get out of there on my own. Kiara just hurt one girl, nothing else. I froze my entire country and froze my little sister to death, literally. If you aren't mad at me, then you shouldn't be mad at Kiara, either." _I don't think what Kiara did is half as bad as what I did._

Gerda shook her head. "Well, I do not have the authority to kick the child out of the castle, and I shall be friendly to her because she's your friend, but please remember everything you did 'wrong' was a complete accident; and it was all because you spent your entire childhood locked in your room. _None_ of that was your fault. Now I have a feeling this was not the topic you came down here to discuss."

Elsa smiled, thinking of her original reason for coming downstairs so early. "I would really appreciate some help planning a surprise party for Anna's birthday. I have a few ideas, but…will you help me? Please?" _I can't wait for Anna's birthday! She'll be so happy!_

"Queen Elsa, why are you asking me 'will you please help me?' Not only am I happy to, you do have the authority to tell me to do what you please," Gerda replied. _Elsa takes over a duchy within minutes, and then she goes and asks her servant if she will please help her plan a party…_

Elsa ignored this. "Well, I was thinking…what were the things Anna wanted most for her birthdays when she was younger? I'd like to try to make up for all those years from before," she said softly. "I remember Anna begging me to come out of my room when she was little…and…and I just ignored her or told her t-to go away…" _Quit crying, Elsa. That's the past, not the present._ Tears trickled down Elsa's cheeks, and she tried to wipe them away. "I'm sorry, Gerda…I'll try not to do that again. What did Anna say she wanted most?"

Gerda could tell Elsa was still on the verge of crying and that she was trying to force herself not to. "Miss Elsa, she'll be happy with whatever you give her. She'll just want to spend the day with you," she said quietly.

"It has to be _perfect_. I shan't ruin Anna's birthday again!" Elsa said firmly.

"You didn't ruin anything, Queen Elsa," Gerda told her firmly. "And even if you did, it doesn't matter. You like to say 'the past is in the past', hmm? Well, say it now. You can plan a party for your sister now, in the present. Think about that."

Elsa smiled a bit at that. _That's true. I can make this birthday a perfect one for Anna._

* * *

Late that evening, Elsa had the sudden urge to go to the library and try to play herself an accompaniment on the piano to the song lyrics that had been randomly flitting through her head all day. _What if someone starts listening to me? I might sound stupid for all I know…oh, who cares? I'll just shut the library door. I don't think anyone will bother me._

The second Elsa had reached the library, she shut the door behind her and wheeled herself over to the piano, shoving the piano bench out of the way. "Okay, Elsa…you can do this," she whispered to herself. Elsa closed her eyes and began figuring out which chords matched her own song she wanted to sing. _Nope, wrong key…wrong chord inversion…argh, I had this in my head! Where is it?!_ While Elsa's musical ear was almost impeccable, she did not have perfect pitch. Once she could find the first chord, all the others after that would easily follow since she matched pitches by intervals. "I got it!" Elsa exclaimed a few tries later. _Awesome. I think I can get all of it now._ " _When you ask me…who I am…what is my vision? And do I have a plan? …"_

Elsa smiled as she kept going, missing one of the mental chords she had in her head; but she kept singing and quickly changed the chords she was playing to the right ones. " _Where is my strength? Have I nothing to say?_..."

Out in the hall, Anna heard her sister's clear, strong voice singing from inside the library. _What's Elsa singing? I don't recognize that song…is she accompanying herself?! Cool!_ She listened for a few seconds, debating whether to go inside or not. Elsa would probably stop singing the second she walked in though…so Anna stayed where she was, even though she was eavesdropping on her sister. _I could listen to Elsa sing all day long. She sounds absolutely perfect…_

" _…'Cause I stand for the power to change; I live for the perf-_ shoot!" Anna heard Elsa evidently play a wrong chord, take a split second to fix it, and keep going. " _I live for the perfect day…"_ Anna ran off down the hall, struck by a sudden urge to find her parents, Kiara, Gerda, Kai-anyone she could find, really-and bring them back to the library door to listen to Elsa. _Elsa sings so pretty! I want everyone else to hear her too._

Elsa was completely oblivious to her new audience; she just continued singing her song. _I love singing. I have no idea what I sound like to anyone else, but this is fun. And it doesn't matter that my legs are messed up, either. Just me and my voice here. And this is the good kind of alone. I can be by myself for a few minutes and go spend time with Anna, too…_ She smiled and kept going. " _I don't try and change the world, but what will you make of me?..."_

Anna had only found her parents and Gerda, but she didn't want to miss any more of Elsa's song, so she ran back to the library, dragging her parents and Gerda behind her. "You guys gotta hear Elsa! She's singing, and…yeah. Just listen!" Anna whispered excitedly.

" _I stand for the strange and lonely; I believe there's a b-"_ Elsa abruptly froze-figuratively, of course-when she heard a thump and an excited voice trying to be quiet but not succeeding from outside the library. "Anna, are you eavesdropping on me?" she called suspiciously.

Anna eased the library door open and gave Elsa a sheepish grin. "We were just listening. I didn't want to disturb you 'cause I thought you'd chase everyone away since you were singing."

Elsa scowled and went bright red. "That's because it's _my_ song and, well…I like singing by myself," she said softly. _I didn't want anyone to hear me…_ "And what did you mean, 'we'?"

"Um…" Anna knew her sister was not going to be happy, but she opened the door entirely and let their parents and Gerda in. "Elsa, you sound so nice when you're singing! I wanted everyone to hear you."

"Well, I did _not_ want everyone to hear me," Elsa said to herself. She gave Anna a small smile and said, "I'm happy you thought I sound nice when I sing, though." _Well, even Dad doesn't seem disgusted with me, so I must not have sounded stupid. I guess it's okay they heard me._

"Elsa, you have a very pretty voice," Idun told her with a smile. "It carries a ways down the hall, too. You should sing more often."

Elsa blushed and didn't say anything. _Thank you, Mom._

* * *

TWO MORNINGS LATER…

After breakfast, Elsa headed to the Great Hall. She had finally figured out exactly what she was going to do with Hans. "Anna, I'd like you to stay in the room while I speak with Hans, all right?" she asked her sister.

"Of course I'll stay," Anna replied, giving Elsa's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "But what are you going to do?"

Elsa just smiled cryptically. "You'll see."

"What did you bring me up here for? To gloat?" Hans demanded rather peevishly. "The point has been made. You girls outsmarted two men."

Elsa gave him a good-natured smile as she tossed a glowing snowball from one hand to the other, never actually touching it. "I believe that was a sexist comment, sir. Would you think differently if I were a man instead? Also, I daresay if _I_ am a girl, _you_ are a boy, not a man. Just to clarify."

"I'm older than you!"

"You're less than two years older, Prince Hans. And you act younger than Princess Kiara," Elsa replied, still tossing the snowball back and forth. While Elsa had no intentions of doing anything remotely cruel to Hans no matter what he had done to her, she was rather enjoying this banter at the moment.

"What are you doing with that snowball?" Hans asked.

Elsa had been waiting for that question. "Why? Are you afraid I might throw it at you?" She let the snowball grow a bit bigger and continued tossing it from one hand to the other.

Hans's face turned red. "You look like a tyrant. A defective monster tyrant." _No, she doesn't. She looks like a young girl teasing someone who's been bothering her. Which…she is. The "Snow Queen" has a mischievous streak to her. This isn't that scared, stuttering little creature from back in the summer. I would rather like this girl if she wasn't the one imprisoning me. Wait, what am I thinking?! I hate Elsa! She's caused nothing but trouble for me._

"Do I?" The old Elsa would have been upset by that comment, but this Elsa didn't care. She had been expecting that; had _wanted_ him to say it, even. _Now I need split second timing for this to work…_ Elsa closed her eyes, made the snowball large enough to hold a person, and then threw it across the room.

A second later, the snowball exploded in a bright flash of light, and there stood Kiara exactly where the snowball had been.

Hans just stared in surprise.

Anna cracked up laughing. _So that's what Elsa was leading up to! She's such a stinker._

"I hereby strip Prince Hans of the Southern Isles of his title, banish him from Arendelle, and sentence him to permanent exile in a place of Princess Kiara's choosing," Elsa announced.

Kiara looked to Elsa, wondering if it was her turn to say what she was going to say yet. Elsa nodded, and Kiara said, "I'm taking you home to the Southern Isles, but if you ever, _ever_ do anything to Elsa and Anna again, the Snow Queen will take over the Southern Isles just like she did Weselton. And then our ol' man will kick your butt good!"

Hans just looked puzzled. _That's all she's going to do? Not that I'm complaining, but…why are Queen Elsa and her stupid little friends being so...forgiving? I would execute them if our places were reversed._

"You will be staying in the dungeon until spring when it is safe to traverse the fjord again," Elsa said. "Your sister will bring your meals."

"Why her?" Hans asked, glaring at Kiara. "For that matter, why aren't you tossing Kiara in the dungeon too? It's her fault you're in that wheelchair. You're crazy, Elsa." _Kiara must have addled Elsa's brain._

"That's _Queen_ Elsa, if you please. What happened to me is more your fault than hers. You brainwashed your sister," Elsa replied flatly. _That's the truth. And I want you two to make up with each other. Sibling bonds can be repaired. I know they can._ "Kiara, you may proceed."

* * *

IN THE DUNGEON A MINUTE LATER…

"Whatever part of you is still remotely human has got a crush on my best friend," Kiara announced nonchalantly. She had caught a glimpse of a non-hateful look in her brother's eyes toward Elsa.

"What are you talking about, you numskull?! I hate that girl! Your _best friend_ Elsa has caused me nothing but trouble. Even if I did like her-which I don't-I certainly would never tell her so. How degrading can you be?" Hans glared at his sister. "She's a freak."

"Well, Elsa told me nobody's a freak, even you. She said 'not even your, quite honestly horrible, brother'," Kiara said gleefully, enjoying her brother's obvious embarrassment.

"Why don't you just get lost and stay there," Hans replied peevishly.

"Nah, it's more fun to tease you. Bet Snow Queen Elsa won't stop me either!"

"Bet you won't tell her what you're doing."

"Shut up," Kiara retorted.

"Look, Kiara, our family isn't your stupid friend's. The Westergaards just don't act like that. You know Elsa is just trying to get us to make up with each other. It isn't going to work. You've caused too much trouble. I've caused too much trouble. The rest of our brothers have caused too much trouble. These dumb Arendellian sisters think all siblings are supposed to have this idyllic, perfect relationship like they do. It isn't true. They live in dream land. Get lost, Kiara. I don't want to see you." Hans's usually carefully cultured and polished "charming" voice sounded bitter now.

Kiara scowled and crossed her arms. "Elsa said I was s'posed to bring your meals, Hans. You'll have to see me whether you want to or not." Then she turned and marched out of sight before teleporting herself back to the Great Hall.

* * *

Elsa sighed in relief and slumped back in her chair the second Kiara had teleported Hans and herself out of the Great Hall. "Well, that's done," Elsa said to Anna. "The first part was rather amusing, but I don't like dealing with him. He creeps me out," she admitted.

Anna gave her sister a hug. "It doesn't matter. That stupid dumba-"

"Anna!" Elsa scolded. "What if Mom or Dad heard you say such a thing? Or Gerda or Kai?"

"It's true, though. Anyways, he won't hurt you anymore. I think you got him out of the way permanently this time." Anna grinned as she added, "And I've heard Dad say way worse things about people who bugged him when I was little and he thought I wasn't listening."

Elsa shook her head. "Well, I'm not having my little sister say such things. And I'm hoping Hans changes his tune. Kiara _is_ his little sister. Would you like to-"

"Snow Queen Elsa, I really want to ask you something," Kiara interrupted the second she was teleported back into the Great Hall. She looked at Elsa and bit her lip; then turned her back. "You said you knew a way to get rid of my powers before. Well…everything here in Arendelle is safe again…I really, really want them to go away. Will you still help get rid of 'em?"

Elsa wheeled herself over to Kiara and held both her hands. "Kiara…are you sure that's what _you_ want? You don't want to be able to teleport places instantly, create force fields, climb vertical walls, and everything else you can do anymore?" she asked softly. _I wonder if that has something to do with me. Kiara should not try to get rid of her powers just because she hurt me with them._

Kiara kept her eyes on Elsa's pale hands holding her own tanned ones. That one small red mark, now faded, caused by her own abilities on Elsa's fair skin jumped out at her. "I don't want 'em anymore. They're not supposed to be a part of me like yours are to you, Elsa," she said firmly. "I wasn't born with them. My brother tricked me into playing with a metal pole outside during a storm when I was five. I got hit by lightning." Kiara let go of Elsa's hands and pulled her dress sleeve down to show Elsa the faint zigzag scar on her shoulder. "There's one just like that on my foot, too," Kiara added as she pulled her sleeve back in place.

 _Kiara's powers are a remnant of a bad memory for her. That's why she doesn't want them anymore._ Elsa gave her friend a smile. "I think I understand. I'll help you get rid of them if you want me to, but _please_ make sure that's what you really want and that you're not just doing it to try to escape memories. You can't escape bad memories, Kiara. They'll always be there. But you can move on and…and let them go. They won't always hurt so much. I _know_ that for a fact." _I know that from personal experience._

Kiara scowled. "I don't hurt inside." _Yes I do. I should tell Elsa the truth._

Elsa just shook her head. "Yes you do. Come here, Kiara. Come here." _She just doesn't want anyone to know and think that's a weakness…_ Elsa hugged Kiara tightly the second the girl was close enough for her to do so. "I don't know much about your past, but I do know your family disapproved of you for a long time. Don't lie to me; I know that hurts from personal experience," she said quietly. "I certainly won't force you to stay, but please just remember that you'll always have a place to stay here. One of the guest rooms can be turned into your permanent room if you like." Elsa meant every word she said. She would let Kiara stay in the castle permanently if she wanted to. _Kiara would be like another cousin or something to me. Not a sister though, because nobody, absolutely_ nobody _can be like my amazing little sister Anna._

Kiara suddenly found herself crying right there in her friend's arms. _Elsa wants me to be part of her family. She wants me to stay even after what I did to her._ Part of Kiara wanted to smack Elsa right in the nose for making her cry, but Kiara just stayed in Elsa's arms and didn't move. "I know 'sorry' is useless and won't fix what I did, but I really am sorry," Kiara said. _That didn't even make any sense, did it?_

"I'll be okay, Kiara. I forgive you," Elsa replied almost instantly. "I'm not angry. A bit upset perhaps, but not angry." _I have Anna with me. I was stuck in my room alone when I was younger for years on end. Not being able to walk is nothing compared to that. I'm perfectly fine._

"I still don't want my powers anymore," Kiara said again.

Anna frowned and pulled Kiara away from her sister. "Elsa stupidly offers you a permanent place to stay and you just keep telling her you don't want your powers. Give Elsa a chance for goodness sakes!"

Elsa laid a gentle hand on Anna's arm. "Let Kiara be. It's okay, Anna." _That's something that's important to Kiara. I still think she should keep them, but it's Kiara's decision, not mine._ "We'll go visit the trolls tomorrow," Elsa told the other two girls.

 **A/N: So...a bit of magic logic here.:P Rapunzel's powers don't work on anything caused by any other magical powers. (ie., she wouldn't be able to heal someone if Elsa shot them in the head with ice or something, either.) Hmm, I wonder if Elsa could reverse effects of her own magic on a person now that she's in control...I'm thinking yes unless she hits them in the heart...**

 **Just so you know, I will NEVER pair Elsa with Hans. Just no. *shudders* Even if he genuinely turned nice, she could never trust him...:/ So no way.**

 **Anyways...next chapter coming soon!:)**


	23. Valley of the Living Rock

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing.:)**

 **QueenIcelandia-Lol, great minds think alike?;):)**

 **CieloFede-I just thought it fit pretty well, not perfectly, but close...and besides, Idina Menzel IS Elsa's voice.;) Lol, my logic is that since Kiara wasn't born with her powers, they can be taken away from her. That's it.:)**

 **raven678-Thank you!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-I figured there has to be a difference between Rapunzel's healing magic and the trolls' healing magic. It had nothing to do with Kiara's or Rapunzel's magical strength. (Which is why Rapunzel couldn't heal the "sunburn" from Kiara on Elsa's hand, either.:P) There's more magic logic in this chapter.:) Gross! I hate that pairing with a passion, so...NEVER EVER. Elsa could never trust him, even if he was genuinely being nice...:/ Lol, yes Kiara is stubborn. XD**

 **PrincessRiley-Elsa promised she would help Kiara with whatever she wanted to do with her powers, and Kiara wants to get rid of them, so...yeah. They're visiting the trolls.:)**

 **Mandy-That's okay!:) Agdar just doesn't like Elsa's powers, and he doesn't want to accept that she's permanently hurt. (Well, I shan't confirm whether Elsa is _really_ permanently hurt or not...just read on.:)) I don't like pairing Elsa with anyone; I don't think she needs a consort either.:/ Elsa singing was Awesomewolf's idea...I need to go back and say so in the A/N of the last chapter.:P Lol, this is not a spoiler, trust me: You are completely correct. Hans will NEVER have a chance with Elsa, even if he turns completely nice (which again, isn't happening). I'm just trying to round him out a bit. Come on, Elsa is a pretty girl...if Hans isn't being a sicko, he might very well actually like her. But I will NEVER NEVER NEVER pair Elsa with ANYONE, least of all Prince Creep!:P Oh I'm sure Elsa's storm sense will come up again eventually.:) Without spoilers, I'll just say keep in mind there are BIG differences between troll magic and Rapunzel's.;) Yes, they'll talk about the Great Thaw more eventually.:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-I don't think that's Kiara's style...she'll apologize verbally or not do it at all.:P ... To be fair, Agdar just didn't want to accept what happened to Elsa, and he just took that denial out on her. Of course Elsa just tried her best to please him and then got upset when she couldn't.:/ ... Lol, they ARE going to visit the trolls! Awesome prediction.:P:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"I'll take us back via an ice sled," Elsa offered the next morning after breakfast. "There is a bit of snow on the ground now, and if I need to, I'll just add some myself to get us back home." Kiara was going to teleport the three of them to the trolls, but if Grand Pabbie was able to remove Kiara's powers like Elsa was ninety-nine percent sure he could, they would have to find another way back.

Kiara and Anna looked at each other and grinned. "Sounds good!"

Less than a minute later, the three girls were in the middle of the Valley of the Living Rock. "Grand Pabbie?" Elsa called shakily. _I don't like being here…it reminds me of how everything bad started when I was eight… Beauty, danger…fear will be your enemy…I just wanted Anna to be okay…taking Anna's memories was wrong…I'm glad they automatically came back to her when I thawed everything…I want to go home…_ Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin when the boulder in front of her turned into the troll, and she clutched her sister's hand tightly. _Good grief, Elsa, you know that's what the trolls do. You're ridiculous sometimes._

"How may I help you today, Queen Elsa?" Pabbie asked.

"My friend Kiara has electrical powers, but she wasn't born with them," Elsa explained. "Could you remove them for her please?"

Pabbie glanced at Kiara and then back at Elsa. "Certainly. Powers acquired after birth can easily be removed. Powers like yours, Queen Elsa, that one is born with, are impossible to take away from said individual. Please tell the princess to take the girl a short distance away. I must speak with you alone for a moment."

Elsa frowned in confusion, but nodded for Anna to walk a little ways away with Kiara. "What is it? Is this going to...t-to cost something?" Elsa asked the second Anna and Kiara had walked off. She kept her hands clasped together tightly close against her chest; her blue eyes betrayed her nervousness at being alone with the old troll. _Calm down, Elsa. Calm down calm down calm down…_

"No, Queen Elsa, it will not cost anything. No altered memories; no Anna being taken away again," Grand Pabbie said quickly, instantly understanding Elsa's nervousness. "Your friend paralyzed your legs, Queen Elsa; I can sense it. You do know removing her powers would partly heal you, correct? Also, if she keeps her abilities, she'll be able to heal you completely herself when she's older. Right now, she isn't strong enough to reverse any damage she causes. She'll simply cause more damage instead. It is the nature of being a young electrokinetic. It is a very unstable sort of magic superpower." Pabbie paused for a moment; then continued, "I do not know exactly how much of the damage she caused to you will disappear if I simply remove her powers, especially considering any reactions your own powers might make. You might be almost entirely healed or still unable to walk. There's no way to know. Also, your own icy abilities helped protect you from the intense shock of electricity she gave you. An ordinary person would have been dead."

Elsa's eyes grew big. _I wasn't expecting this! And I'm more glad than ever I'm the one that was hit and not someone else. My ice powers helped protect me?! I didn't even know that._ "Well, how it affects me doesn't matter one way or the other. I want Kiara to decide herself without knowing any of that," she said firmly.

"I assumed such, but I thought you should be aware before proceeding further." Pabbie gestured for the other two girls to come back. "Miss Kiara, are you absolutely certain you do not wish to have your abilities any longer? You cannot change your mind later," he told Kiara.

Kiara nodded without hesitation. "Don't want 'em. They're not supposed to be part of me like Elsa's are to her."

"Very well then."

* * *

A minute later, Kiara bounded happily over to Elsa. "They're gone! Those scars I showed you are, like, invisible now. You can see it if you look really, really closely, but otherwise, they're gone. Thanks, Snow Queen Elsa!"

"I'm glad you're happy," Elsa said simply, giving the younger girl a smile. Her eyes suddenly lit up as she realized something else. _I can_ feel _my ice-dress on my legs! It's not like they're not there anymore. I can feel my legs!_ Elsa bit her lip as she glanced down at her bare feet and tried to move them. To her surprise, she could easily move her right foot, and if she concentrated hard, she could move her left one a little bit, too. "Anna…Anna, look!"

Anna took one look at her sister and let out an excited squeal. _Elsa's legs are better! Elsa's better!_ She grabbed Elsa's hands and started to pull her to her feet, but Grand Pabbie stopped her.

"Princess Anna, help your sister try to stand up slowly. I do not know just how much help removing the girl's powers was to Queen Elsa," Pabbie warned her.

Elsa gave a frowning Anna a reassuring smile. "Anna, we didn't know removing Kiara's powers would heal me at all before. So anything is better than nothing. Let's at least try." _Don't get too excited, Elsa. You'll be fine no matter how this turns out._ She bit her lip as Anna picked her up and started to set her down on her own feet. Elsa's legs felt weak and shaky under her, especially her left one that refused to support any of her weight without buckling under her or twisting her ankle; but she was still _standing._ "Please don't let go, Anna…I feel really wobbly," she said softly.

Anna stayed right beside her sister, letting Elsa lean on her. _Well, Elsa definitely isn't completely healed, but maybe she'll get better with a bit of time. I hope so anyways._ Anna realized Elsa was trying to take a step, and promptly frowned a second later when Elsa nearly fell. "Elsa…don't hurt yourself. Maybe you can try again later?"

Elsa bit her lip and tried again, only to have the same thing happen again. _My left leg won't support me at all. It's somewhat okay if I'm standing still, but I can't walk on it. And it doesn't move properly._ "Well, my right one seems to be mostly okay," she said finally. Elsa managed to stand up on her own for about half a second before her legs collapsed under her and Anna caught her before she actually fell.

"If you will permit it, I can attempt to heal you directly, Queen Elsa," Pabbie offered. "I do not think it will make much difference, but I can try."

Elsa slowly nodded, but she visibly flinched when the troll reached toward her; and her slender shoulders hunched over as she kept her hands clasped close against her chest. _Elsa, calm down. Pabbie is trying to help you, not hurt you. You came here before with Rapunzel and Anna, remember?_

Pabbie dropped his hand and shook his head without doing anything else. "Your magic will not permit me to even try to heal you entirely, Queen Elsa. It has nothing to do with your nervous feelings you have at the moment; your powers have simply blocked any other sorts of magic from either harming or helping you strong enough that my abilities cannot counteract it." _She has the strongest magic I have ever seen. This is not that little eight-year-old. She's grown, and her powers have grown far more than I had ever thought they would._

Elsa frowned. "My powers are automatically trying to protect me?" she asked in confusion. _Why was Rapunzel able to help me then? She did get rid of all those bruises and whatnot…maybe it's because she's related to me? Or most likely because her magic only heals injuries from ordinary causes, not magical powers. I don't know._

"Correct. When your friend shocked you, she set them off. Now they assume any magic intrusion is harmful. Honestly, I am surprised removing her powers was as helpful to you as it was," Pabbie told her.

Anna held Elsa steady as she struggled to stay on her feet. "You're fine, sis," she whispered. "I'm not going to let you fall." To the troll Anna asked, "Will Elsa get all the way better with time?" _Please say yes. That's the least Elsa deserves, I think._

"Your sister will get stronger, but she will always have a weak leg. I am sorry," the old troll said regretfully.

Kiara just stood watching a few feet off to the side. "Snow Queen Elsa prob'ly just needs a brace or something on her bad leg," she muttered to no one in particular. _Something to support her ankle. That's what keeps refusing to hold her up. I wish I hadn't hit Elsa in the first place…_

Pabbie had abruptly turned back into a rock, so the three girls were left alone in the valley. Elsa finally gave up on trying to walk and made an ice-sled just big enough to hold the three of them. "Come on, let's go home," she said a minute later. _And I'm glad to leave the Valley of the Living Rock. I know Grand Pabbie didn't mean any harm when Anna and I were little, but I still don't like being here._

* * *

"Try again now, Miss Elsa," Gerda said late that evening after dinner. "See if that doesn't help. Miss Anna, stay next to your sister so you can help her if she needs it."

Elsa slowly stood up with Anna right next to her, ready to catch her if she lost her balance or started to fall. _I can do this. I have to. I don't want to disappoint Anna and Gerda._ She hadn't told her parents anything about what had happened at the Valley of the Living Rock; she wanted to know for certain that she really was better before telling her parents something that might not actually happen. Elsa made it all the way across her room and then turned and smiled that she had actually done it. Elsa's gait was slow and awkward and she had a bad limp, but she didn't care. _I thought it was impossible for me to ever walk again. And I just did!_ "Anna…Anna, I did it!" she exclaimed happily.

Anna hugged her sister tightly. "I'm so glad you're better, Elsa. I mean, you're my awesome big sister no matter what, but I'm still super glad you're better," she whispered in Elsa's ear. _At least partly better anyways. Elsa doesn't walk perfectly, but at least she actually can now. And since she can, that means she'll probably get better at it after a while, too. I know she will!_

"Miss Elsa, is that brace uncomfortable for you? Anything itchy or annoying?" Gerda asked.

Elsa plopped down on her bed and looked at the brace holding her weak leg straight. "It just feels…strange. I think it's okay like it is," she said after a moment. "It _must_ be okay-it helped me walk just now!" Elsa added, giving Gerda a lopsided smile. _Even if that contraption_ was _itchy, I don't think I'd care. It's easy to take something for granted until you can't do it anymore. I know I would have been okay if I didn't get better at all, but it certainly is nice to be able to actually stand up again. Thanks, Kiara. Thanks, Grand Pabbie. Thanks, Gerda. And thanks, Anna, for helping me._

"All right, Miss Elsa. Don't overdo it and tire yourself out, though. Promise?" Gerda knew Elsa was terrible at not overdoing things when she was sick or injured.

Elsa frowned, but she nodded. _I won't overdo it, but I have to practice, right? Anyway…_ "Gerda, will you get my parents and just tell them I want to talk to them?" Elsa asked, her blue eyes twinkling. "Anna and Kiara and I will just stay right here."

* * *

Elsa began regretting making a big to-do out of everything the second Gerda left her room. _What if I just trip and fall? Maybe Mom and Dad won't want to see me anyway. I know I was limping really badly a minute ago._ "Anna, I changed my mind. Tell Mom and Dad I-"

"No, Elsa, you aren't doing any such thing," Anna interrupted as she picked Elsa up. "Here, this is what we'll do. You sit here in that wheelchair and pretend everything's just like it was before and you're working on some document papers or something at your desk. Then I'll help you stand up and…never mind, just follow my lead!" she finished in a whisper when she heard a knock on the door.

Since it wasn't like she had a better plan, Elsa turned to face her desk as she heard the door open. _Calm down, Elsa! Good grief._

"You wanted to talk to us, Elsa?" Agdar asked.

Elsa didn't reply as Anna quickly pushed her chair over to one side of the room. Anna asked her if she was ready in a whisper, and Elsa nodded. _I can do this. I just did it a few minutes ago._

"Anna, what are you doing with your sister?!" Idun asked as Anna started to help Elsa to her feet. "You know she can't stand up by hers-"

But Elsa could, and she smiled hesitantly at her parents as Anna let go of her. _I can do this. I just did it a few minutes ago…I can do this._ She slowly limped across the room to her astonished parents and nearly fell into her mother's arms. "Was it…a good surprise?" Elsa asked hopefully. "Even though I still can't walk properly?" _Please say yes. Please. I don't think I could stand it if you said no…_

"A perfect surprise, sweetie," Idun said softly. "But how on earth?! You couldn't even move your legs just yesterday, and today here you are walking across the room!" _I don't care how. Elsa can walk again, and that's all that matters._

"Kiara didn't want her powers anymore, so we visited the trolls earlier. Grand Pabbie was able to partly heal me when he removed Kiara's powers," Elsa explained.

Agdar frowned. "Why was he able to remove Kiara's and not yours?"

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. "Because Kiara wasn't born with hers. She was struck by lightning," she said flatly. _Dad still wishes I didn't have my powers. At least he hasn't told me to 'clean up' my room or anything. I love my ice decorations._

"Elsa, what did you mean by 'partly heal me'?" Idun asked.

"Mom…by the way, do you mind if I say 'Mama' again, even though I'm not a little girl anymore?" Elsa asked; then smiled when her mother nodded and gave her a hug. "Mama, you saw the way I walk with a terrible limp and how I'm so awkward." Elsa gave her mother a lopsided smile as she held her dress skirt aside, revealing the brace supporting her left leg. "And there's that. That's what I meant by partly healed."

Idun nearly began crying when she saw the brace fastened around her daughter's leg, but she just hugged Elsa close and reminded herself that Elsa hadn't been able to walk at all just the day before. _Elsa_ is _better. She might not be exactly like she was before all those weeks she and Anna were missing, but at least she can actually walk again. Elsa is happy; she was happy yesterday too when she couldn't walk at all…although I am quite sure Elsa's almost too-positive attitude is simply because she has Anna with her. I know it is. She thinks everything is perfect as long as she has her baby sister with her._ Idun pulled away from Elsa and just held her hands for a moment. "I'm glad you're my daughter," she said quietly.

Elsa's blue eyes filled with tears at that comment. _Mom…_ Mama _is glad I'm her daughter? Me? Me, Elsa?_

Elsa had no idea she had said those things aloud, so she was surprised when her mother said, "Yes, you, Elsa Ingrid Nicoletta Grieg of Arendelle."

Elsa noticed her father winced at hearing her full name. "Dad…what is the significance behind my middle names? I know Nicoletta was my grandmother's name, the one that died before I was a year old, but what about Ingrid?" she asked. "Is it simply a name you don't like?"

"No, Elsa. Your mother and I adored that name. Don't worry yourself about it," Agdar said firmly, but not in a rude, you're-too-young-to-know tone. _Idun and I never should have used that name for Elsa. Elsa can't know anything more about it._

"Did you like me better when I was a baby?" Elsa asked, her voice so faint her family could hardly hear her. "Is that why I have a name you adored then and you can't stand it now?"

"Drop it, Elsa," Agdar ordered. "Just drop the topic. Don't bring it up again."

Elsa flinched backwards at her father's harsh tone. "I'm sorry," she said softly. _What did I say wrong? I just asked a simple question!_

"It's all right, Elsa. Just don't ask about it again," Agdar told her in a much nicer tone. _You hurt that girl by talking to her like that, Agdar. She flinched. She can barely walk and you jump all over her case for asking about something she can't possibly have any knowledge about. You should apologize._ Agdar took Elsa by the arm and sighed when she flinched at the touch. "I don't hate you, Elsa. You're perfectly fine here and here," he said gruffly, pointing at Elsa's heart and then her head.

Elsa dearly wanted to give her father a hug, but she knew he wouldn't want her to do that. So she just stood stiffly, biting her lip because she didn't know what to say. _Say something, Elsa. Something. Anything!_ "Dad, I…that is, I'm…thank you for not hating me," she said finally.

Agdar pushed Elsa away, causing her to fall. "Go to bed and read a book or something, Elsa," he said flatly as he turned and left without another word.

Elsa wasn't hurt by her fall, but she felt completely confused about what had just happened. _What did I say wrong? I don't even think Dad was actually angry with me. Did he even know I fell? I don't know…_ Elsa knew there was no way she could stand back up by simply getting to her feet, so she used one hand to create an air current that set her back on her feet. "Mama, what did I say wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, sweetie, nothing at all," Idun assured her. "It _is_ late, though. I think we should all go to bed, your father and I included. Anna, don't keep your sister up too late."

* * *

Anna grinned and put her arm around Elsa's shoulders as their mother went off down the hall. "I think you made Mom and Dad happy, sis," she announced. "Although I'm mad Dad pushed you on the floor like that, even though I'm pretty sure he didn't know or mean to do that."

Elsa smiled as she slowly limped over to her dresser and pulled out her favorite light blue nightgown; then disappeared into her bathroom and came back a minute later. "Anna…I just wanted to tell you thank you," she told her sister as both of them flopped down on the bed.

"For what? I didn't do anything," Anna said, sounding puzzled.

"You take care of me nonstop. All the time. Constantly. Whether it's something hurting me inside or if I physically need help or anything else, it doesn't matter…you just treat me like…like…" Elsa paused, trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say. Even now, nearly six months after the Great Thaw, Elsa still had difficulty believing her little sister cared so much about her. She trusted Anna implicitly and knew she could always count on her, but it still…surprised Elsa somehow. "You treat me like I actually deserve everything you do for me," Elsa finished finally.

Anna just scowled at her. "Stupid stinker!" she nearly shouted. Then she gave Elsa's shoulder a gentle squeeze and smiled at her sister. "Elsa, I think you deserve everything I do for you that you think you don't deserve. And then some. I just treat you like my awesome big sister, 'cause that's what you are. Just what _do_ you think you deserve?"

Elsa had no idea how to answer that question. She had grown up for almost her whole life thinking that whatever bad things happened to her; she deserved them. Elsa finally just shrugged and gave her sister an apologetic look. "I don't know." _I hurt Anna…twice! They_ were _accidents, but I still hurt her. I_ should _be punished for that. I did_ not _, however, deserve to be locked away for thirteen years because of an accident. I should have had to wear gloves whenever I was around Anna or something, maybe. I don't know._ "Well, I don't deserve to have a wonderful little sister like you," she said after a minute.

"Does you thinking that mean you think you _do_ deserve that, too?" Anna demanded, pointing at her sister's braced leg.

Elsa sat up and just stared at her leg for a moment. "No. That was simply caused by an unfortunate accident, nothing more, nothing less," she said with certainty. "If anything, I'm _lucky._ Grand Pabbie told me my powers helped protect me somehow automatically when Kiara shocked me. I'd have been dead if I were a so-called 'normal' person." _I'm so glad I was the one who was hit and not someone else. Especially Anna._

Anna's eyes grew big as she couldn't help clapping her hands to her mouth in surprise. "Oh my goodness, Elsa…oh my gosh…oh my goodness…" she whispered, horrified. Suddenly the idea of Elsa having to wear an awkward and cumbersome brace on her leg seemed absolutely perfect when Anna thought about what could have happened. _What if Elsa's magic hadn't done that on its own?! I mean, Elsa couldn't even use her hands when she was hit, so she definitely didn't protect herself on purpose. Good grief, even Elsa not being able to walk at all is better than…than no Elsa here safe and alive at all!_

Elsa hadn't even heard Anna's horrified whispers; she was busy thinking. "And I think my brace bothers Mama more than it does me," Elsa said now. _I don't think it's all_ that _bad. You can't even see it with my dresses, really, when I'm standing up. I mean, okay, it's going to show if I'm sitting down wearing my original ice-dress, but other than that…_ She turned away, pulled her nightgown up above her knees, and just frowned at her brace. _It's not that bad, Elsa,_ she told herself. Elsa suddenly found her fingers fumbling with the fastenings and she quickly took the thing off. Then she dove under the covers and pulled them over her head. _I don't want to answer questions every time I want to go outside the castle because I'm wearing that thing. And Elsa, you're being stupid. Would you rather not be able to walk at all? You'd still have to answer questions with that, too._

Anna noticed Elsa's sudden agitation and quickly yanked her out of bed entirely and carried her over to the window. _I know why Elsa's all agitated…and I think I know how to help her._ "Elsa, I'm going to set you down right here in the window seat," she announced.

Elsa sighed but said nothing. "Why am I over here?"

Anna stepped back a few feet from her sister and just crossed her arms. "Now stand up and come here…without using your powers," she ordered in a quiet voice.

Elsa's blue eyes immediately began filling with tears. "I…I can't. Not without help," she whispered miserably. _Why is Anna asking me that? She knows I can't do any such thing. I could use my air currents to get to Anna, but that's using my powers…_ Elsa eyed her brace lying on the floor next to her bed, but that was out of reach. _I wonder if I could just make my own brace out of ice…but that's using my powers, too…and I doubt that would work anyway since it would be my own ice…_ "Anna, why are you doing this? Are you trying to make me feel stupid or something?" she asked peevishly.

"No. Just making you realize you need help and that it's all right," Anna told her. She gave Elsa a hug and handed her the brace; then returned to her original spot a few feet away. "Take two!"

Elsa frowned a bit as she fastened the brace back around her leg, but she promptly smiled when she stood up and saw Anna giving her a hopeful look. _Anna and her silly psychology. What's funny is that it works._

" _Now_ come here." Anna hugged her sister tightly the second Elsa got to her. "You can't go floating about Arendelle with your air currents all the time, sis. Even if it _is_ a really cool and awesome thing to be able to do." _She'll make herself exhausted, I'm sure…_

Elsa giggled and almost instantly went flying straight up towards the ceiling. "Anna, watch this!" She carefully sent herself floating directly over her bed. And then…

"Elsa, noooo! You're gonna-"

Elsa let herself freefall straight down onto her bed and landed with a loud thump.

"Bust the bed," Anna finished, but she was laughing. "Elsa, you're crazy!" _I wish I could do that! That looked like a lot of fun._

Elsa just grinned at her little sister. "I know," she replied gleefully.

* * *

DOWN THE HALL…

"Did you know you made Elsa fall when you pushed her away like that?" Idun asked.

Agdar just stared at his wife, not sure what to think. "I didn't shove her. Is Elsa hurt?"

"Agdar, Elsa was wearing that brace on her leg to help her walk. She's not very steady on her feet. You can't push her about like that. And no, she's perfectly fine, but she asked what she said wrong," Idun told him. "We should tell her the origin of her own name, you know."

"She thanked me for _not hating her_ , Idun." Agdar turned and faced the window and didn't say anything more. _And my response was to push her away and make her fall. I am not telling Elsa the story behind her whole name. Just…no._

"So love and take care of her," Idun said softly. "It's December. Close to the Christmas season. A perfect time for all of us to be one family."

"Saccharine comment." _Elsa wouldn't think so. Neither would Anna…_

* * *

The next morning, Elsa immediately decided there was one thing she wanted to do as soon as possible. _Visit my ice palace. I'll 'fly' partway there and I think I can make it part of the way walking. I think._ Elsa quickly wrote her family a note explaining where she was going and then she went right out her window. _When I come back, I'm going to ask Gerda to help me with planning Anna's birthday party more._

Elsa laughed in delight at the wind blowing through her hair as she passed right over Arendelle. She dropped herself down in the now-naturally snowy forest heading into the mountains. Elsa began slowly making her way along, thinking it was a very good thing that she didn't sink in the snow or she wouldn't have been able to walk here at all since she had the brace on her bad leg. _I still love it out here. I definitely don't want to live in the middle of nowhere all alone, but it's nice to be by myself temporarily._ Elsa stopped in her tracks when she heard a quiet growling noise. _What is that? Wolves?_

A whimpering sound coming from the trees off to her right made Elsa want to go take a look, but she knew that was just asking for trouble. "I can always just 'fly' off if I run into a problem I can't handle, though," she said to herself. Elsa made her decision the second she heard that sound again. _Elsa, you shouldn't be doing this,_ her inner voice scolded as she limped off the path into the trees.

Just as she was deciding to give up on figuring out where the noise was coming from, Elsa spotted two eyes peeking out at her from behind a tree. _A wolf? Some other animal?_ Elsa took one hesitant step forward and the animal revealed itself completely and bared its teeth, but then made that whimpering sound again. "You're a wolf. A baby one," Elsa whispered. "But you're hurt…" The animal just stood watching Elsa warily holding one of its front paws off the snowy ground. Elsa could see there was a nasty cut or bite of some kind on the wolf's leg. Rather than just getting away from there as fast as she could, Elsa found herself wanting to help the wolf pup instead. _What do you think you are, Elsa?! Even if it lets you near it, you don't know how to help._

Elsa bit her lip and went one step closer. Too close. The wolf turned tail and ran off on three legs as fast as it could go. Elsa tried to run after it and immediately fell down instead. _I can't do this. I don't know how to get the wolf to come back._ Elsa flinched when she suddenly felt hot breathing on her hand; then smiled when she realized the baby wolf had come back…and that it wasn't trying to attack or bite her just because she was in a vulnerable position sitting awkwardly in the snow. "I wish I could keep you," Elsa said softly. "I never had a pet before. Not unless it was a temporary one, like a lizard or something I caught when I was little."

Elsa bit her lip as she slowly held out one hand to pet the baby wolf on the head. "Will you let me try to help you?" she asked. "Please?" _I could put ice on that hurt spot and maybe Gerda could take care of it properly when I get home…_ Her original mission to visit the ice palace forgotten, Elsa carefully encased the wolf's injured leg with ice and cuddled the animal in her arms. _I want to keep it! I know Anna would like to have a pet…dog, too. Even if it's a wolf._

Elsa was still holding the wolf pup on her lap, gently petting its fur, when she heard a familiar voice call her name. "Yes, Kristoff, it's just me!" she called back, knowing Kristoff was probably on his way back to Arendelle from ice harvesting.

"Queen Elsa, that's a _wolf_!" Kristoff exclaimed a minute later, pointing at the animal in her arms. "What on earth are you doing holding a wolf?!"

Elsa scowled and just held her newfound pet closer. "It's a _baby_ wolf, and it's hurt. I'm going to ask Gerda to fix its leg when I get home," she explained. "Kristoff, you're scaring it!" Elsa scolded.

Kristoff just stared at her like he thought she was crazy. "That is a wolf. A baby snow wolf. It's going to grow into a hundred pound predator. You're going to end up wanting to keep it for a pet if you take it back to the castle." He paused for a moment, realizing something else. "How did you get way out here anyway?"

"Anna and Kiara and I visited the trolls, and Grand Pabbie was able to partly heal me when he removed Kiara's powers for her. I can walk by myself now; I just need a brace on my left leg," Elsa explained. "And my wolf will make a good guard dog when it grows up then if it weighs as much as I do."

Kristoff decided not to point out that the wolf would probably weigh _more_ than Elsa did when it was fully grown. "Well, I'll take you and that…that thing back to Arendelle in my sled if you like," he offered finally.

"Her name is Drífa," Elsa announced.

 **A/N: So...Elsa's mostly okay now.:) I'm sorry if anyone's upset she isn't completely healed, but I just didn't think it was realistic, magic or not. Elsa is a human girl, and all the magical abilities in her world have to have limits. So...yeah.:P**

 **Now we know Elsa's full name...:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	24. Drífa

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **QueenIcelandia-Thanks for not being upset.:P He's just being stubborn.:P**

 **Dragonheart35-And I PMed you, so I won't make you reread the same thing here.:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-I'm glad you're at least not _too_ upset.:) I was just trying to have a logical outcome/solution, that's all.**

 **Mandy-Yay, I'm glad you liked it, at least mostly!:) Well, I'll just say Agdar will be nicer to Elsa by the end.:) Yes, it's a OUAT reference.:) (Although OUAT's Ingrid is not in my story.:P My Ingrid has a tragic backstory too, but it's not the same.:))**

 **princessdianaofparadiseisland-Hi sis!:) That's why Elsa isn't completely better-she IS just a human girl, not immortal.:P I'm glad you liked Drífa!:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"Queen Elsa, you are not bringing a baby wolf in this castle!" Gerda exclaimed the second she saw Elsa in the entrance hall.

Elsa's face fell. _I know I can just bring Drífa inside if I want to, no permission needed, but I thought for sure Gerda would help me take care of her._ "Gerda, please? Drífa has a hurt leg. I thought you might fix it for her. Please? You fixed _my_ leg…"

"You _named_ the wolf puppy…" Gerda shook her head, knowing there was no way Elsa was going to give in. Elsa would probably just bring her newfound pet inside anyway if no one was willing to help her take care of it. "Oh, all right, bring it in." _Elsa's parents aren't going to be very happy with her when they find out she brought home a baby wolf…_ "And I didn't fix your leg, Miss Elsa. You'd be running around like you were before if I had been able to 'fix' it." _Not being barely able to limp about, even with that awkward brace._

Elsa just shrugged and gave Gerda a lopsided smile. "You helped me to be able to walk around on my own, which means you fixed it. I'm fine. And-"

"Oh, cool, Elsa, you're home!" Anna exclaimed as she came running towards her sister and skidded to a stop when she saw what Elsa was holding. "Elsa…is that a wolf? It's too cute to be a wolf…can I hold it? Please?"

Drífa snapped at Anna's fingers when Anna tried to pet her. Anna huffed and jerked her hand back. "It just likes you, Elsa. Make your dog let me pet it!"

"It's a girl wolf, and her name is Drífa," Elsa said softly. "You're too noisy. You scared her." Elsa hugged her puppy close, and Drífa licked her cheek just like any ordinary dog would. _Drífa actually likes me. Then again, she's a snow wolf. She's used to the cold already, even though she's little more than a baby._

Anna stuck out her tongue at Elsa, but she knew her sister was right. _I probably scared Elsa's silly puppy half to death barreling around like that._ Anna held out her hand slowly, and this time the little wolf let Anna touch her.

"Want to hold her?" Elsa asked. "I think it'll be okay. She knows you're not going to hurt her now." Anna nodded, so Elsa put Drífa in her sister's arms; but the puppy immediately began whimpering and tried to get back to Elsa.

"I thought wolves had yellow, amber, or gold colored eyes," Anna commented, quickly handing Drífa back to her sister. "Your puppy has blue eyes."

"Maybe Drífa is too young for her eyes to have changed color yet," Elsa suggested. "Besides, she's a snow wolf. She's supposed to have brownish eyes, I think."

"What are you gonna feed her?"

"Meat and water?" Elsa offered. _Wait a minute…I can't keep Drífa here. She's a wild animal. That's mean. I should just keep her here until her leg is better and then let her go back to the forest where she belongs._ Elsa quickly set in her mind that that was what she was doing. She would not let herself get attached to that baby wolf any more than she already had. "I'll let her go the second her leg is better," she said quietly.

 _Elsa wants to keep that wolf puppy so much, I can tell. But she's made the right decision…we can't keep a wild animal in the castle._ Anna gave her sister's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Well, I agree you can't keep Drífa, but maybe we could get another sort of pet. Like a regular dog or a cat or something."

* * *

Elsa lay on her tummy on her bed a short while later, contentedly petting the wolf puppy's fur. Drífa lay with her head resting on her front paws, her light blue eyes just watching Elsa. "I still wish I could keep you, but I can't," Elsa said softly. "You belong out in the forest. Free. I can't keep you contained inside…being locked inside anywhere _hurts_. It hurts so much you end up thinking there's something wrong with you that means you're nothing but a…a defective, worthless, and pathetic creature nobody should bother with. You're barely more than a baby…you'd grow up thinking…thinking that's the way things are supposed t-to be…" Elsa's eyes welled with tears, and she abruptly sat up and turned away from the puppy. _Just stop it, Elsa. What's wrong with you?! You're fine. That's the past, not the present. Drífa is a baby wolf. She isn't going to think stupid things like that about herself._

Elsa felt someone picking her up, and looked toward the someone with watery eyes. "Mama? I'm sorry, I…" _She just heard everything I just said. I just know it. Now I've probably made Mom…Mama upset._

Idun held Elsa close and didn't say a word for a minute. _I don't know what on earth Elsa is doing with a baby wolf in her room, but those things she said, just talking to it…I let her grow up feeling like that. I let my little girl live for years believing she was worthless!_ "Elsa…Elsa, I don't know what to say…an apology can't-"

Now Elsa interrupted and just gave her mother a hug herself. "The past is in the past where it belongs. Everything is forgiven. _Everything._ It still hurts me inside sometimes, like what you heard me say a few minutes ago, but I'm okay now. Really. Let it go." _That phrase is perfect for a lot of things…just my original reasoning for saying-singing!-it was flawed, that's all._ She followed her mother's upset gaze to the brace on her leg and promptly moved her skirt so it didn't show anymore. "I think that bothers you more than it does me," Elsa said, giving her mother a lopsided smile.

"If you wore something else, maybe it wouldn't show as much…" Idun said carefully. She still didn't approve of Elsa's original ice-dress one bit, but she was determined not to actually fuss at her daughter about it.

"Mama, it just shows when I'm sitting, anyways," Elsa pointed out. "The slit is on the right side, not the left. And I don't want to not wear my favorite dress just because I have to wear a brace and someone might see it. I think people are going to know _something_ happened to me anyhow." _I'm really awkward and I limp really badly._

Idun yelped in surprise when Drífa nudged her arm. "Elsa…please move your wolf. Please."

Elsa struggled to her feet and scooped up Drífa. "I'm going to let Drífa go free once her leg heals," she told her mother. "Gerda bandaged up the nasty cut on her leg, see?"

 _Elsa loves that animal and she's hardly been around it at all. And it sounds horrible to that puppy, but I wish_ Elsa's _leg would heal instead. At least Elsa can actually walk now, though. She couldn't even move her legs at all before._ "That's…nice, Elsa. Just keep Drífa under control, please…don't let her chew up the furniture or anything," Idun said, backing away from Elsa and the puppy.

Elsa just nodded. "Why would I want her to chew up my own furniture?"

* * *

FIVE DAYS LATER…

Elsa now knew exactly what her mother had meant when she had told her not to let Drífa chew on the furniture. The wolf puppy followed Elsa around the castle wherever she went, but if Elsa tried to leave Drífa alone, Drífa chewed up chairs, sofas, coffee tables, whatever she could sink her sharp little teeth into. So Elsa let the little wolf follow her around. At least that kept Drífa from wreaking havoc all over the castle. Elsa knew her temporary pet could walk much faster than she could, but Drífa didn't seem to mind Elsa's slow and awkward steps one bit.

Anna had become rather annoyed with her sister's pet. Drífa was turning out to be a one-girl dog, and that girl was Elsa. The wolf let Anna pet her, but only if Elsa was nearby. If Elsa wasn't right next to her, Drífa would try to bite. "Elsa, your dog is mean," Anna complained now as the two of them headed downstairs for dinner. "She hates everybody except you!" Anna frowned as she watched her sister hold the staircase railing with both hands and start down the stairs, carefully pausing with both feet on each step. "Elsa…" _Elsa should just use her powers to get downstairs. It'd be easier and way faster for her._

"If you laugh, I will drop snow down your back," Elsa threatened good-naturedly. _I made it all the way down the staircase without using any magic yesterday, so I know I can do it today. It just takes forever._

"No, no, Elsa, I would never laugh at you! Well, unless you told a joke or something, but then that's different…never mind. I was just thinking it might be easier if you used your powers to get downstairs instead," Anna explained. "Gerda already called us for dinner. We'll be late."

"I want to walk downstairs without using my magic! I did it yesterday," Elsa insisted. "You go run ahead and tell Gerda I'm coming."

"I'm gonna tell her what you're trying to do!" Anna threatened.

Elsa took one hand off the banister and threw a snowball at her sister. "You're welcome," she said gleefully, and went back to making her way downstairs.

Anna just stood there in shock for a split second before simply picking her sister up and starting down the stairs. "I got you, sis! I so got you!"

"Put me down!" Elsa practically squealed.

"Shan't!" Anna shot back.

Elsa immediately stopped trying to wiggle out of her sister's arms when she saw Gerda at the bottom of the stairs. _Anna and I aren't even being very safe doing this. We're teasing each other on the stairs…_

"You girls know dinner is ready. Play a game after dinner," Gerda scolded. "Princess Anna, put your sister down before you drop her on the stairs."

Anna gently set Elsa back down on her feet and frowned when her sister held the banister with both hands again as she slowly started down the stairs once more. "Elsa, please. You're gonna hurt yourself…"

"I can do it," Elsa said quietly, as much to herself as to Anna. With both her sister and Gerda watching her, Elsa felt herself growing nervous. _If I slip, they're not going to let me even try this again without me making a fuss about it…_ Elsa's braced leg suddenly slid out from under her and she fell, unable to keep her balance. Her blue eyes filled with tears that she immediately wiped away roughly. "I did it yesterday! Why can't I do it now?!" _Elsa, calm down. It doesn't matter. You're fine._

"Elsa, if you insist on doing this, just try again later," Anna replied as she sat down next to Elsa on the steps and hugged her tightly. "Besides, since you said you _did_ do it yesterday, that means you can do it again. I was watching you; you just slipped. It could've been a one-time thing anyways, sis. Do you know how many times I've slipped and fallen on this staircase?"

Elsa stifled a giggle at that question. "Well, my leg is messed up. What's your excuse?" she teased.

"I have great expertise in how to be clumsy," Anna announced loftily. _At least Elsa is happy again. That's good._ "Come on, Elsa. Let's go get our dinner."

* * *

DOWNSTAIRS IN THE DUNGEON…

"I am sick of just seeing you every day. Why doesn't your stupid friend send one of her guards down here with meals instead?" Hans asked.

"Well, the sight of _you_ makes me want to gag," Kiara retorted. "I daresay Elsa's guards might beat you up if they were the ones who came down here. Elsa didn't even have you chained up. It was _my_ decision to do that," she said, pointing at the shackle around her brother's ankle. It allowed Hans free reign of the cell; he just couldn't quite reach the door to try picking the lock or something, which was why Kiara had done that. "You tried to kill both of 'em."

"I'm not the one that paralyzed her so-called best friend and put her in a wheelchair. You did that."

 _That was partly my fault, but not completely!_ "I was under _your_ orders! Besides," Kiara went on importantly, "Snow Queen Elsa can too walk now. She just wears a brace on her left leg 'cause it still doesn't work quite right."

Hans looked slightly hopeful for a second, but then narrowed his eyes and scowled again. "I don't believe you. You can't reverse the effects of electricity. Besides, I hope she dies." _No, I don't. Wait a minute…I don't want that stupid girl dead? All she's done is cause trouble._

Kiara's gaze grew dark, and her green eyes flashed in anger. "Don't you dare say that! Elsa's the nicest person I've ever met. She-" Kiara figuratively froze for a second and stared at her brother intently for a moment in confusion. "You don't want Snow Queen Elsa dead. You actually look guilty for saying that."

"What do you care one way or the other?" Hans asked defensively.

"She's my _friend_. I think it's normal to care if someone wants your friend dead, you numskull," Kiara replied, crossing her arms.

"How would I know?" Hans muttered, and stalked over to the window and stared outside.

"Well, you're such a creep; no wonder you never had any friends," Kiara said, not meanly, just in a flat, neutral tone.

Hans suddenly jerked back around and shoved Kiara roughly before she could get out of the way. Kiara scooted backwards out of reach and bit her lip hard when she realized she'd cut her palms against the stones and wall. _I will not cry. I won't. So there._

"You're naïve, foolish kid. You're eleven, not twenty-three. You know _nothing_ about not having any friends. You know nothing," Hans growled.

"I know nothing?! What do you call what happened to me since I was five years old?! Huh? And all because of you!" Kiara shouted.

"I never meant to give you your stupid powers! I just wanted you to leave me alone! A seventeen-year-old boy has no interest watching his five-year-old sister all the time! Do you know how often our parents completely, entirely blamed me for those powers? It isn't fair. I was dumped with babysitting _constantly_. I liked you just fine until you were this little burden I had to drag around all the time.

"You know what else? Before you were born, our brothers bullied me constantly. The few times I returned the favor by embarrassing them in public, I was the only one who got in trouble. Technically, we _all_ should have gotten in trouble. It wasn't fair."

"None of that is any excuse for hurting and trying to kill my friend and her sister," Kiara spat. Without another word, she scrambled to her feet, locked the cell door, and then dashed back upstairs to find Elsa as angry tears ran down her cheeks.

* * *

Elsa and Anna were just playing chess in the library when a very angry and evidently upset Kiara came running in. "Anna, let's finish later," Elsa whispered just as Kiara threw herself into Elsa's arms and just stayed there.

Elsa had no idea why Kiara was so upset, so she just gave her friend a hug and gently held her hands as Kiara abruptly scrambled to her feet and jerked her hands away. Elsa blinked in surprise, realizing Kiara had hurt herself somehow. "Kiara, I don't know what's wrong, but let's go take care of your hands, okay?"

Kiara nodded and roughly wiped her tears away. Anna wasn't sure what she should do, so she just followed behind as the three of them went back to Elsa's room.

"Kiara, please wash your hands," Elsa instructed. Elsa had hurt herself a few times when she was younger-once she'd accidentally sliced her palm when she tripped on a tree root outside in the forest when she was sixteen-so Elsa knew how to take care of simple injuries herself.

Kiara obliged and then plopped down on the edge of the bathtub, her hands stinging.

Elsa sighed, realizing she couldn't kneel on the floor with her braced leg. _Stupid leg. Elsa, it's better than before. Much, much better. You just need to get used to not being able to do certain things. It doesn't matter._ "Kiara, I can't kneel…could you please stand up? I'm sorry…" She frowned as Kiara stood up and held her hands out to her. "What on earth did you do to yourself?" Elsa asked quietly. "Does this have anything to do with your brother?"

Kiara's expression darkened, and she flinched when Elsa's gentle fingers touched a particularly tender spot. "He shoved me, but to be fair, I may have kinda sorta provoked him into doing so," she answered. Then she grinned mischievously. "I think Hans likes you somewhere deep inside."

Elsa's blue eyes went wide. "Kiara, I think you must be mistaken," she said firmly. "Hans hates me." _And he creeps me out anyways. Even if Kiara is somehow correct, I would never have anything to do with him. I've forgiven him, but I cannot trust him. Ever._ Elsa also still remembered that man…boy…telling her he would prefer her dead but that she was a pretty girl. That had genuinely terrified her.

"The human bit of him doesn't hate you," Kiara said matter-of-factly.

Elsa looked Kiara right in the eyes. "The 'human bit of him' is a man. I do not _ever_ want to be liked just like that. It's creepy. I am not an object." She bit her lip as she gently finished bandaging Kiara's hands, feeling guilty for saying such a thing to an eleven-year-old.

Kiara actually already knew what the older girl was talking about, and she just hugged her friend tightly. "I know what you mean, Snow Queen Elsa; but I think you're wrong. At least _now_. It was definitely true before, though."

"Kiara, if your brother ever asks you anything that would warrant me owing him such an explanation, you are to tell him I've forgiven him but that I can never trust him. That's the end of the story," Elsa said quietly. "I don't hold grudges, but I'll not put myself in harm's way when any and all logic says not to do that. He tried to _kill_ Anna and me. I can't trust him. I believe there's a difference between forgiveness and trust, although my sister might tell you different," she added, shooting Anna a lopsided smile.

Anna scowled. "Um, Elsa? Did you forget the bad things you did were all accidents? The awful things Hans did were ALL on purpose. Every single one. There's your difference right there." _I trust Elsa implicitly. She's my sweet big sister._

Kiara's expression grew serious, the mischievous grin gone. "I'm glad you're still my friend, Elsa. I think you're really smart." _Elsa has a point. I won't tease my brother anymore. I can't do that to Elsa. She's my friend._

Elsa hugged both of the other girls close. "And besides any of that, just look at me. I can't even walk properly. No one would want to have anything to do with me anyway. I'm glad I have friends like you."

* * *

Elsa lay awake long after she had turned her lamp out that night. _Anna's birthday party…I need a theme. Something unique, something she'll love. Something perfect. Anna would love a party with a ton of people, even if I wouldn't…but it's winter. I have no way of knowing EXACTLY what the weather will be on her birthday. Just whether there will be awful weather or not. There won't be. A party in the courtyard? No…too cold for everyone except me… In the ballroom?_ Elsa suddenly bolted upright and clapped her hands over her mouth to suppress an excited squeal. "That's perfect!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "Anna loves summertime! A summer in winter party in the ballroom. That's what I'm going to do." _I think Anna loves every season though…maybe this is stupid. I'm a horrible person for planning a summery party. That's not my element_ at all. _Still…it's unique and I haven't thought of anything else. And I know Anna will like it._ Elsa flopped back against her pillows and pulled the covers up to her chin with a happy smile on her face.

* * *

Early the next morning, Elsa headed downstairs to the kitchen as fast as she could go…which included falling twice right on her backside before deciding using her powers to make her air currents would be _much_ faster. Drífa followed her as fast as her paws could carry her. Elsa smiled when she realized Drífa's leg was much better now; then frowned, remembering that meant she would have to let her wolf go free in the forest soon. She stopped in front of the kitchen door and bent to pick up the puppy. A second later, Elsa found herself knocked onto the floor after Drífa jumped on her. "Oh well, I'm sorry I fall over so easily," Elsa said, hugging Drífa close.

Gerda opened the kitchen door to see Elsa and her temporary puppy sitting right on the floor. "Miss Elsa, did you want something? I don't think you came downstairs to sit outside the kitchen with your pet wolf."

Elsa set Drífa down, and Gerda helped her to her feet. "I had an idea for a theme for Anna's birthday party," Elsa explained. "A summer in winter party in the ballroom! I hate the thought of having a ton of guests at once, but I know Anna would love that, so…" She shrugged before continuing, "So I'll just have to deal with it. I want Anna's party to be _perfect._ Absolutely perfect."

"That's a rather unique idea, Miss Elsa. Have you enlisted your parents' help yet?" Gerda asked. "At least your mother, perhaps?"

"I haven't spoken with _anyone_ about the party except you," Elsa said softly. _Gerda is right. I should at least ask Mama and Dad if they want to help. I could talk to Olaf and Rania, too._

Gerda smiled at Elsa, but she gently turned Elsa around and shooed her away. "While I will be happy to help with your sister's birthday party, you run upstairs and talk to your real mother about it, Miss Elsa," Gerda said firmly. "I think she'll be rather upset if she finds out you've been consulting with your old servant about the party and not her."

"I can't run," Elsa replied instantly, her blue eyes twinkling. "I believe a more accurate statement would be 'limp upstairs'. Or 'fly upstairs', if I'm lazy."

Gerda frowned at her. "That was a terrible joke, Miss Elsa. You walk much better now than that first time several days ago, even if you do have a significant limp. How _is_ that leg doing by the way? Have you tried standing up and walking without the brace?"

Elsa shrugged one shoulder slightly and gave Gerda a small smile. She had been wearing the brace all the time except for when she was sleeping; and she had gotten used to the strange feeling of the thing on her leg, but it was just the slightest bit uncomfortable to her. "I think it's fine; it's not like it hurts or anything. And no, I haven't…" _I still have a bit of trouble walking_ with _the brace on; I don't think I can without it…_ Elsa didn't particularly want to discuss this topic; she hated being fussed over. "I suppose I'll go find Mo…Mama," she added.

* * *

"Elsa, it's wintertime. Not everyone is at home in the freezing cold like you are," Agdar said. "How are you going to invite guests to the castle when it isn't safe to cross the fjord? Not to mention there isn't enough time to send out invitations."

Elsa sighed. _I knew there was a reason I was just asking Gerda for help with Anna's party._ "Everyone who lives somewhat near the castle in Arendelle would be able to come, Dad. Anna loves socializing even if I don't. I'll not make her have a private family party like what I would like to have. I want Anna's party to be _perfect._ There's only a little over a week before Anna's birthday!" _Anna hasn't had a real birthday since she was tiny, and even then that's not the same thing. She gave me a real birthday party. I want to do the same for her._

"I have a feeling your sister will think her birthday is perfect as long as she spends it with you. She always begged and begged for you to come out every year," Agdar told her. "Elsa…what is that destructive little beast doing in here? Take it out. Please take it out," he added, pointing at Drífa. "That animal chewed up an entire chair in the library and peed on it the other day when you weren't watching it."

"Drífa isn't doing anything wrong," Elsa said with a frown as she looked down at the little wolf. Drífa just sat on her haunches panting as she looked up at Elsa. _Well…she's not doing anything wrong at the moment…_ Elsa bent to pick up the puppy and promptly fell again, just as she had downstairs. She sighed and just shut her eyes as she held Drífa close.

Idun gently picked her daughter up and just gave her a hug. "You're fine, sweetie. Don't beat yourself up for falling." _I will not let my little girl get upset for anything she does again._ "Now how about that birthday party?"

"Don't wear that scandalous dress at Anna's party. That way your brace won't show so much. If you have to wear an ice-dress, wear that darker blue one you made," Agdar said.

Elsa bit her lip and just looked down at her feet. She had traded those ice heels for more practical ice shoes that helped the brace stay on properly. _Actually they look identical to the heels except for the heel part_ , Elsa realized with a smile. "Dad, it isn't going to make any difference what I'm wearing. People are going to immediately know something happened to me. I look awkward and I limp. I will not just not wear my favorite dress," she said firmly. _Dad didn't tell me not to wear an ice-dress, though! He just didn't want me to wear this one. Thank you, Dad. Although maybe I_ will _make a new dress. A summery ice dress. Such irony…that's hilarious._ Elsa spotted a ball of yarn in her mother's sewing basket and grinned. "Mama, do we have lots and lots of string somewhere? I think I have an idea."

 **A/N: Yeah, Elsa's planning a Frozen Fever-y party for Anna.:) It's going to be different because it's winter and stuff, but...yeah.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	25. Misunderstanding

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **QueenIcelandia-Wait and see:)**

 **Dragonheart35-And I PMed you, so I won't make you reread the same thing here.:P:)**

 **raven678-Thank you!:)**

 **Mandy-Oh, I don't care. I still don't like Agdar much anyhow...:/ Elsa might've forgiven him, but I haven't.:P I agree; I think Elsa still likes to be able to do things on her own...she just wants to have Anna with her, too.:) Lol, I'm glad you like Drífa! It just seemed (to me) that Elsa would like animals...I mean, she isn't a social butterfly like Anna, and she never will be. (Why should she? That has nothing to do with whether Elsa is upset/happy/etc; it's just not _her_.:))**

 **Elsa Tomago-Elsa's mostly okay...she's just remembering things from the past that still hurt if she thinks about it. Although yes, I agree-Elsa deserves a lot of hugs.:)**

 **WarriorQueen 14-I also don't like Elsa paired with ANYONE anyway. It's not just HansxElsa I dislike.:P (I will say I hate Elsanna far more than Helsa, though...come on, they're SISTERS for goodness sakes...:/) Anyways, moving on.:) I got rid of Kiara's powers because it was either let Kiara keep them and leave Elsa like she was, or Kiara loses her powers and Elsa is partly healed. And I wanted Elsa to get better.:) Hmm, I just wrote Hans's spiel as 'take it or leave it; this is what happened'. I think Hans wasn't treated well in the past either, but he's had a much, much different reaction to that than Anna or Elsa have. Which (to me) is his own choice. I mean...Elsa didn't end up like that. She's not unaffected by everything, but she's still... _herself_. She hasn't turned into a bitter faux-charming creep.:P Anyways...my POV is that Elsa has a hard time trusting people anyway, and she's going to trust someone who tried to kill her and Anna? I just can't see that. Hans could genuinely turn nice and be trustworthy, but I still don't think Elsa would trust him. She can't. Anyways...that's just me.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"I think Elsa might be upset with me or something," Anna told Kiara a few days later. "She's always busy and she won't talk much." Anna had gotten mostly un-mad at Kiara now that her big sister was better. This was also because Kiara was much more agreeable now than she had been in the past; while Kiara was still quick on rejoinders and a bit sarcastic sometimes, Anna had to admit that she was fun to be around now. And Kiara had changed her mind about Anna, too; she formerly thought Anna was very annoying, and now thought she was fun to talk to and play games with. Kiara did not, however, like the older girls' dad one bit. She thought he was a creep. She hadn't decided about their mother yet.

Kiara frowned. "Maybe Elsa's leg is bothering her," she suggested.

"Nope. Elsa said it doesn't hurt her or anything, and while I know she hates admitting something's bothering her, she wouldn't outright lie about it," Anna replied. _It could be making her tired though. That's possible._

"Well, I don't believe she's upset with you. Snow Queen Elsa willingly let herself be shocked instead of you," Kiara muttered. "She had no way of knowing she would even live or not. _I_ didn't know one way or the other until she sat up…"

Anna's face brightened. "That's true! I'm going with Elsa's just busy."

There was a bit of silence for a moment, and then Kiara said, "I think my brother is starting to at least kinda feel sorry for what he did. It just seems stupid and unbelievable to me, because I swear he's NEVER felt sorry for something in his life before."

Anna scowled. "Kiara, Hans tried to _kill_ her! I don't want him anywhere near my sister," she said firmly. "And he's tried to hurt her on the inside over and over! Don't you dare get any ideas. I _promise_ you I will take Elsa and keep her right where I can see her every single minute if you try to get her to like him." _And I know Elsa…she may not trust him, but she's forgiven him and that means it's possible she'll decide she wants to make friends with that creep…Elsa would probably just 'friend-zone' him, I'm sure._

"Sheesh, I was just commenting on something! No need to get all in a ruffle." Kiara laughed before adding, "I kinda think Snow Queen Elsa would never _like_ like anyone enough to get involved with 'em anyway. She's pretty independent."

"True. Elsa told me she doesn't want any boyfriend because she doesn't want him meddling with government business," Anna told Kiara. "Which kinda makes sense, but I still think she's being silly."

"Silly and independent," Kiara put in.

Olaf and Rania came waddling into Anna's room, interrupting their conversation. "Elsa said we were supposed to give you guys hugs from her," Olaf announced.

"Elsa works too hard," Rania put in logically.

"'Cause she's busy with-" Olaf started.

Rania interrupted loudly, "BUSY WITH CHRISTMAS STUFF! Elsa is planning Christmas things to do since this is the first Christmas the royal family has had together since she was eight."

Anna and Kiara traded glances. _Mystery solved._

* * *

Except Elsa was busy with Anna birthday stuff, not Christmas stuff. Elsa limped all the way over to the chocolate shop, the jewelry shop, and several other places. "Could you make a bracelet with sunbursts and snowflakes on alternating beads?" Elsa asked. "It's for Princess Anna's birthday."

"Certainly, Queen Elsa," the jeweler, Lise, told her. "If you would pardon the question, what happened to your leg? Please don't feel pressured to answer, though…"

Elsa didn't want to go into detail, so she just said, "I had an accident and I have to wear a brace now. No big deal," and gave the woman a friendly smile. "When will my sister's present be ready? Could it possibly be ready today? I'll pay you extra for your trouble."

"No later than three P.M., Queen Elsa," Lise assured her. "And no charge at all."

"You are not giving me a bracelet for free," Elsa said firmly. "I will be back at three, _with_ your payment," she said with a smile.

* * *

Elsa went to the chocolate shop last. _I hope Daisy is there. She's been so nice to me…_ Daisy was a little girl Elsa had met back in the summer who had a problem with stuttering. Daisy spoke better now, but she still stuttered quite a bit. Elsa still didn't understand why her own stuttering had disappeared entirely unless she was extremely upset or something and Daisy's hadn't. Daisy's parents ran the chocolate shop. Elsa smiled when she pushed the door open to the shop and saw Daisy behind the counter.

"How m-may I help you t-today?" Daisy asked. "And Queen Elsa, guess what?" Without waiting for an answer, Daisy continued, "My b-birthday's next m-month! I'm gonna b-be eight!"

"I'd like to buy some of your fancy chocolates, the ones with different molded shapes, for my sister's birthday," Elsa said. "And that's terrific, Daisy! Happy early birthday."

Daisy frowned as she watched Elsa's limping steps. "Did y-you hurt yourself s-somehow?" she asked. "'Cause you're l-limping." She pulled out a few chocolates and put them on the counter, choosing her own favorites, which were snowflakes, flowers, a bunny, and a Christmas tree.

Elsa decided she would purposely let Daisy see her brace; Daisy was just a little girl and she didn't make Elsa feel awkward and not know what to say. "I had an accident, so I have to wear a brace on my leg now, that's all," Elsa explained. _I'm going to have to repeat that same sentence to everyone I talk to. Great. Not._ She showed Daisy the brace fastened around her leg, and Daisy promptly made a face.

"Doesn't it h-hurt and f-feel uncomfortable?" Daisy asked as she gave Elsa a hug. "Feel-better hug," she announced. "And I think y-you should make y-your own brace out of i-ice," Daisy added.

Elsa picked her young friend up and hugged her tightly. "No, it doesn't hurt at all; and it feels fine…maybe just the slightest bit uncomfortable. But thank you for the hug," she said quietly. _Thank you, Daisy. You made me happy when I lost control in public when I visited the school back in the summer. You helped me more than you know. And thank you for the idea…I've thought about it before, but I thought it was dumb. I think I'll try when I get home. It can't hurt. The worst that happens is that it doesn't work._

Daisy laughed in delight when Elsa tried to give her a piggyback ride and then promptly fell right on the floor. "No-no t-tickles!" Daisy squealed. She suddenly had the ingenious idea to just tickle Elsa back.

Seconds later, the Snow Queen just lay helpless on the floor giggling, trying in vain to get Daisy to stop tickling her. "Daisy, quit tickling! Stop…stop it!" Elsa begged, although she wasn't mad. "I'll make it snow!" she threatened.

This made Daisy tickle Elsa all the more, and she plopped down right on the older girl's tummy, securely pinning her to the floor. "I like snow! Make it s-snow! Do the m-magic!" Daisy demanded. "Snow, snow, snow, m-make it snow! I want snow! I want snow!" she chanted.

Daisy's horrified parents came down from upstairs to investigate all the noise and found their young daughter demanding that the queen make it snow. "Daisy, what on earth do you think you're doing?!" her mother asked.

Daisy scrambled to her feet, and Elsa grabbed the edge of the counter and pulled herself back to her feet that way. Elsa quickly jumped to Daisy's defense. "Ms. Marie" (that was Daisy's mother), "Daisy didn't do anything wrong. I just came to buy some chocolates for my sister's birthday. I'm sorry we made so much noise."

Marie knew Elsa had made special friends somehow with Daisy, but she still didn't approve of her not-quite-eight-year-old daughter pinning the queen on the floor and tickling her, or demanding that she make it snow. "Well, as long as Daisy's rowdy behavior doesn't offend you, Queen Elsa," she said after a moment. "We appreciate our queen being willing to play with our little girl as well as she removes threats from our country, like those Weselton soldiers not so long ago. And that hurricane back in the summer."

Elsa smiled at that. _Thank_ you _for not thinking bad of me for acting childish sometimes._

* * *

When Elsa arrived back home, she headed straight for her room with her arms full of Anna's birthday presents. Elsa dropped the presents on her bed and promptly iced her door shut to keep any curious little sister eyes out. _Anna's birthday is going to be perfect! I hope she likes her presents…_ She smiled as she made an opaque container of ice, put all the presents in it, and shoved it under her bed. Now even if Anna did find her presents, she wouldn't be able to see them; although the surprise factor would be ruined. _Anna better not try to start snooping._

Remembering Daisy's suggestion, Elsa plopped down on her bed and took her brace off; then carefully created a new one out of ice. Oddly enough, the ice seemed lighter to her, almost as if it weren't there at all. Elsa just felt a slightly cool sensation against her skin and a barely-there weight, not the annoying and a bit uncomfortable feeling of dragging her bad leg along with that clunky brace. _My ice feels exiguous,_ she couldn't help thinking. _Now let's see if this actually works. I hope it does._ She slowly stood up, keeping one hand on the bedpost just in case the ice refused to support her since she was the one who had made it. But Elsa needn't have worried; her ice was more than enough to support her leg.

"It works!" Elsa whispered excitedly. In a flash, she let go of the bedpost and experimented walking around her room. While Elsa was quite sure she was still limping, she could walk faster and she felt far more solid on her feet. _I should have done this before! Thanks, Daisy. I know I still can't run or anything else like that, but this is much, much better._

Elsa suddenly heard whimpering and then incessant scratching on her door. "Wait a second, Drífa!" Elsa called.

" _Aroooo! Aroooo!_ " Drífa howled. Then dead silence.

Elsa sighed and went over to the door; she did _not_ want to be attracting attention to the fact that she was shut in her room at the moment. "Drífa! Bad dog!" Elsa scolded when she saw that the little wolf had peed right there on the carpet in the hall.

Drífa looked up at Elsa rather guiltily, and then tried to jump up on her instead.

Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Don't get mad, Elsa. Calm down._ Drífa had done this multiple times before, but thankfully not on any carpets. _I don't know how to clean up the carpet! Drífa, did you really have to do that?_ Elsa quickly picked up her skirt and her snowflake cape trailing behind her before limping off in search of Gerda as fast as she could. She heard a familiar voice calling her name and turned to see Kai pointing at the puddle on the carpet.

"Queen Elsa, I think it's high time you released your wolf back in the forest," Kai said firmly. "You did say you were going to let Drífa go free when her leg was better, and it is. She's made so many messes in the castle; I don't think you even know about most of them because she always does it those few minutes you aren't with her 24/7. Gerda and I have simply been cleaning them up, but Drífa isn't improving at becoming housetrained because she's a wild animal. She doesn't even let anyone touch her unless you're nearby."

Elsa frowned and tilted her head to one side, feeling puzzled. "Kai…why didn't anyone tell me Drífa messes all the time where she shouldn't?! I've seen her do it a few times, and I cleaned it up, but… _all the time_ …why didn't anyone tell me?" she asked.

"We thought you deserved to have a pet, even if it was temporary one. You've always done whatever was best for everyone around you and not yourself, Miss Elsa," Kai told her. "It seems like life always gives our young queen a rough deal; and we just wanted you to have one silly thing you wanted." Kai gave her a reassuring smile; then added, "The _only_ reason I'm telling you now is because I think one big reason Drífa messes so much is because she's restless indoors. She likes you, but that's the only reason she's willing to stay around. She belongs outside and free. She needs her freedom, just like you, Miss Elsa."

Elsa's smile was shaky as she sat down on the floor right where she was and hugged Drífa close. "I'll let her go right now," she said softly. The wolf licked her cheek and rested her head on Elsa's shoulder, staring warily at Kai. _I'm glad I got to have Drífa around for awhile, even though it was just temporary. I didn't think any pet would want me close to it before...and Kai is right. Drífa needs her freedom, just like…me._

* * *

"Thank you for taking me to the forest where I found Drífa in the first place," Elsa told Kristoff a short while later. Elsa just stayed in the far back corner of the sled holding Drífa on her lap.

"You know you don't gotta sit all the way back there," Kristoff said. "Seems rude, like I won't let you sit in the good seats or something."

Elsa gave him a small smile but stayed where she was. "That's Anna's spot, not mine," she said firmly. _I know Kristoff doesn't mean anything by saying that, but he's_ Anna's _fiancée. I'll not get anywhere near him. It's just not right._

Kristoff shrugged and didn't press the issue, knowing Elsa's line of thought. He loved Anna and all her little quirks, her tendency to ramble, her freckles, her pigtail braids, her selflessness regarding her big sister, and everything else about her. And then there was Anna's big sister, who could be the intimidating presence of the Snow Queen one minute and a playful little girl the next. Kristoff thought of Elsa as a bossy but sweet big sister now that he had gotten to know her a little better. He didn't think it was improper for Elsa to sit up front in the sled, but then again, he was not used to royal etiquette. Somehow he was sure that the two Arendellian sisters were not your average royals, though. Anna had little to no regard for royal etiquette in public; she would work with all the ice harvesters if he let her. Elsa was exceedingly impeccable with her manners and she had a sense of regality and dignity about her; but she also participated in snowball fights with the children of Arendelle and she had a _very_ obvious mischievous streak when she chose to use it. (Kristoff would never, ever tell Elsa that, though.) Also she loved animals, as was quite clear from the way she treated that wolf.

"I think I found Drífa right here," Elsa said now as she looked at the snowy trees. Despite the fact that it was just below freezing, Elsa felt perfectly comfortable in her ice-dress. The temperature actually felt welcoming to her. It did _not_ make her feel cozy and sheltered, however; just the opposite. Elsa felt alive and invincible in the snow. This was her element. Evidently it was Drífa's element as well, for the wolf licked Elsa's cheek before running off into the forest.

Elsa struggled to climb down from the sled and landed face-first in the snow. Without missing a beat, she created her air currents and 'flew' after Drífa. "Drífa, I'll miss you," Elsa said softly, looking off in the direction Drífa had run.

Drífa turned back, her sharp ears picking up the sound of Elsa's voice. She came trotting back towards Elsa, who dropped herself to the ground and smiled at the wolf. Drífa tried to jump into Elsa's arms, but Elsa refused.

"You belong here," Elsa whispered. "Free. Keeping you confined in the castle is like me being isolated in my room. Drífa, go! Go and be free." Tears began trickling down Elsa's cheeks, but she backed away and refused to hold the little wolf again. _Drífa, go. You don't belong with me or any other human. You belong out here in the wild._

Drífa sensed Elsa's feelings and just sat on her haunches in front of Elsa. _I know you're upset,_ Drífa's gaze seemed to say.

Elsa couldn't stand it anymore. She turned away and started back toward the sled. Elsa felt something jump on the back of her legs and she was immediately sent sprawling, lying flat on her tummy there in the snow. _Go away, Drífa. You don't need me. Stay here and be free._ Elsa smiled a bit as Drífa licked her cheek, nudged her hand, and then barked once before running off into the trees without looking back.

Elsa pushed herself to a sitting position and wiped her eyes before gazing off where Drífa was running. She thought she could see the rest of Drífa's pack a ways off in the distance. _Drífa won't have to be alone. Good._ "Goodbye, Drífa," she whispered. This time the wolf didn't turn back, and Elsa knew Drífa was gone for good this time. _I already miss Drífa. But I know I had to let her go. And she told me goodbye in her own way…thank you, Drífa._ Elsa just stayed where she was in the snow, her face buried in her hands, her braced leg stretched in front of her. She didn't want to go home right now; she wanted Drífa to come back. _Elsa, you did the right thing. She wouldn't have been happy being kept indoors, even in the big castle._

* * *

Elsa didn't even hear the voices behind her; didn't even register Kristoff shouting at her to turn around. She did, however, flinch when she felt a rough hand grab her by the arm and haul her to her feet, only to press a cloth over her mouth. Elsa snapped out of her upset self, remembering what weird cloths over her mouth meant before. This time Elsa knew what to do. _Don't breathe, Elsa. Get yourself out of here, and don't breathe. Don't breathe until that cloth is far, far away from you._ Elsa struggled to stay on her feet as her mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. _Don't breathe. Don't breathe. Someone pinned your hands behind you, and there's a different someone with the cloth. You have seconds to get out of here._

Not knowing what else to do, Elsa took the risk of willing two ice columns into existence with her feet…well, just the right one since she didn't trust her left leg to do anything right. Elsa smiled a moment later. There were both of the attackers standing in shock with their hands trapped in Elsa's ice columns, and there was Elsa herself safe between them, her own hands free again. _I did it! I was caught unawares, and I still did it._ Elsa limped a couple feet away from the two men and just stared at them. "What did you try to knock me out for?" she asked flatly.

"She's got ice powers like the queen," one man slurred. "Looks like 'er, too."

"What's-his-name…got us loaded and sent us on a mission for that?" the other responded. "Wait…imagination nation in control. Not tol' to do nothin'."

Elsa frowned in confusion. "You two are intoxicated. I _am_ the queen." She whipped around to face the opposite direction and found herself sitting on the ground, looking up at the man she assumed was the ringleader. _Calm down, Elsa. You're so clumsy. Nobody laid a finger on you and you fell anyway. And keep the attention off Kristoff. They'll try to destroy his sled. And I don't know if there are more…_

"Looks like you failed, but I got us a cute little…" the man's voice trailed off, feeling nervous under Elsa's intense gaze, and realizing just who this girl was.

"Cute little what?" Elsa spat out. _I don't want to let them know I can 'fly' unless I have to. Keep him talking._ She glared at the man and held out one hand, ready to defend herself with force if she needed to.

"Guys, this gal _is_ the queen!" the man nearly squeaked. "You got the wrong girl!" Rather than attempt to attack her or try to drag her off someplace, which was the next move Elsa was expecting, the man bowed, grabbed Elsa's outstretched hand, and helped her to her feet. "So sorry, Queen Elsa! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" the man exclaimed.

 _You're still slightly out of it, just not as bad as the others…_ Elsa didn't know whether to start laughing at the utter absurdity of what had just happened or to be angry. _These people are inebriated and completely crazy!_ "What on earth were you intending to do if I had been whoever you were looking for?" she asked firmly.

"Eh, playin' a joke on my cousin. She's blonde but way chubbier than you, Queen Elsa. Guess they mistook you for her since they're high," the man explained.

"You're so-called 'high' too. All of you go home and sober up," Elsa ordered. "Next time I won't be so lenient. Your friends physically assaulted me. What if I had had to resort to using violent force to get away and hurt you because I thought you were trying to kidnap me, when in reality you were joking around?" Elsa paused for a moment and scowled. "By the way, if I were your cousin, I would be exceedingly annoyed with you for playing a 'joke' on me like that. Knocking someone out is not funny. It makes the victim feel downright ill." _I know from experience…_

"Wouldn't be your fault if you hurt us then. It'd be ours…see ya later, Queen Elsa. My pals and I're sorry," the man said. "For real."

Elsa shook her head as the men stumbled off toward a small cabin she could just make out a ways in the distance. "Such idiocy," she muttered. Elsa turned and started limping back toward Kristoff, who was coming toward her himself.

"What on earth was that all about?" Kristoff asked. "I didn't interfere because it looked like you had everything under control, but what were those guys doing?! One minute they're making attack attempts and the next they're bowing!"

"Alcohol," Elsa said simply. _I never want to get like that. Never, ever! It makes people act like crazy nincompoops._

Kristoff paused and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Qu-Elsa, you sure you want to walk all the way back to the sled? You…flew over here," he pointed out.

Elsa gave him a withering stare, but then smirked as an idea popped into her head. "I'll race you back to Arendelle castle, and I won't 'fly', either," she announced.

"All the way back to the castle?"

Elsa just nodded, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Ready?" _I am so ready for this! I'm being childish, but I don't care at the moment…_

"Doesn't seem very fair, Q-Elsa…I'm not racing you back to Arendelle. Forget the time it would take to walk all the way back anyways; you're, uh…you have…um..."

Elsa suddenly felt a very Anna-ish urge to tease that he was just scared of racing a girl on foot who had a brace (made of ice) on her leg back to Arendelle, but she didn't. "I never said I was walking. I said I wouldn't 'fly'," she replied. "If I run into any sort of trouble, I promise I'll take off and 'fly' and that just means I've forfeited the race. Very simple. Okay?"

Kristoff shrugged. _Well, as long as she's safe, I don't care. That sounds fair._ "Suit yourself."

"On your marks…get set…go!"

* * *

Elsa laughed as Kristoff took off at top speed with Sven pulling the sled. "See you at the castle!" she called. Unperturbed by her own unimpressive start, Elsa quickly constructed an ice ramp that led up and over the treetops. She created a sled of her own, a small thing just big enough for her to sit on; and launched herself up the ramp. _This is actually fun! Childish and immature, but fun._ Elsa paused at the top, pictured a direct path back to the castle gates, and took off again.

Elsa laughed in delight as she kept up her rapid pace toward home. Ice appeared along the path as she needed it; never getting more than two or three feet ahead. If she lost her focus on the path, she and the little ice-sled would go flying headlong through the air and she would either have to catch herself by 'flying' and forfeit the race or go plummeting to the ground. _I can do this!_ Elsa spotted Kristoff on the twisting mountain path below her…going _very_ slowly toward the castle. "Caught up with you!" Elsa called.

Kristoff glanced up to see a very self-satisfied Elsa grinning at him from a good thirty feet in the air. _Why, that little…And I'm here trying to go easy on her because I thought she was going to try to limp all the way home. Well, all she said was that she wasn't going to fly. And Elsa isn't._ "You're on!" he yelled back. "Hyah, Sven! C'mon, let's go!"

Elsa laughed and took off again, picking up more and more speed. She smiled happily as she began adding little dips and twists in her path as she went. _I love doing this. I'll have to take Anna up to my ice palace by doing this sometime…I can do that for her birthday! I know Anna would love doing this!_

Kristoff saw what Elsa was doing and sighed. _This_ was exactly what he meant when he thought of Elsa as having a very obvious mischievous streak. The girl went and offered something seemingly unfair to her and then proceeded to create ribbon-y ice paths that appeared in front of her at will, flying at an insane speed towards home. "You're a show-off, Queen Elsa!" he shouted.

"I know!" came Elsa's gleeful reply. "Shall I slow down for you to catch up? Oh wait, never mind…the Snow Queen always wins!" _I'm acting like…like Anna. I feel completely on top of the world right now. I'm happy._

Soon they came flying through the marketplace (Elsa eyed her still-standing ice amusement park, wondering if she should run it again) and Elsa easily came to a stop in the castle courtyard, gracefully sliding down a sloping ice path to the ground. Kristoff raced through the gates a minute later, only to see that Elsa was already there trying to stand up without using her air currents to do so.

"Hey Elsa, what are you doing?" Anna called from the castle entrance steps. "That doesn't look like you're busy!" she teased good-naturedly.

Since the race was over, Elsa gave up trying to stand up without using her powers and just set herself back on her feet with one of her air currents before flicking a hand to dissolve her little ice sled and the ice path ribbon she'd used to get back. "Kristoff just took me to release Drífa back into the forest, that's all," Elsa replied as she headed over to her sister.

"Why didn't you ask me to come?" Anna asked.

Elsa tilted her head to one side in confusion. "I didn't think you'd want to. You didn't even like Drífa much. I'm sorry if I didn't ask you to come and you really did want to…Anna? Anna, are you mad?" she asked in a worried tone. Elsa had seen that look on her little sister's face before but not directed at her. _What did I do wrong?! I didn't do anything! Unless…unless it's because Anna thinks I haven't been around her as much because I've been busy, and she just saw me racing home in an ice-sled…_

"Why did you go with Kristoff?" Anna just stood with her arms crossed, glaring at a confused Elsa and an equally confused Kristoff and Sven. "You could have made your ice path thing and gone by yourself…Elsa, you've been sort of avoiding me for awhile. I don't think you've been _getting Christmas stuff together_ like Rania said you were."

Elsa opened her mouth for a second and then clamped it shut again, not knowing what to say. _Had_ she done something wrong? Elsa didn't think so…she had purposely sat in the far back of Kristoff's sled; he hadn't even helped her into the sled because she'd refused for goodness sakes. _But Anna is right. I could have gone by myself…I just hadn't thought of doing the ice path with my powers before. I was just thinking that I couldn't 'fly' and hold Drífa at the same time._ "Anna, I'm sorry, but-"

"You're sorry you were being all buddy-buddy with _my_ fiancée?" Anna asked.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, Anna!" Kristoff exclaimed, realizing what Anna must be thinking. "Nothing happened. Elsa even purposely sat in the far back of my sled on the way to the forest."

"Then why were you racing together?! That's something me and you do! Not Elsa and you!" Anna exclaimed.

"That's not Kristoff's fault, Anna. It was my idea," Elsa said in a small voice. She visibly flinched under Anna's angry stare. "I'm sorry! I swear I didn't know it was a special thing you two did together. If I'd known, I wouldn't have suggested it!" _I'm so stupid. I didn't know Anna liked doing that with Kristoff. I wouldn't have done it if I'd known…I didn't mean anything!_

"Did you kiss him too?!"

Elsa shook her head hard and just started to go inside, trying to blink tears out of her eyes. Anna was _never_ angry with her, and it made Elsa feel terrible, even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong. Or maybe she had, since Anna wouldn't get mad at her if she hadn't done something wrong, right? _What did I do?! I understand what Anna is thinking, but why won't she listen? Maybe I did do something wrong. Anna wouldn't be mad at me for nothing…_ Elsa limped toward the stairs; she would just retreat into her room and think. Maybe that would help.

* * *

Back outside, Kristoff tried to get Anna to calm down. "Calm down, fiestypants. Elsa did not kiss me and I didn't kiss her either. Why on earth would I even do that? Why would _she_ do that?!"

" _I AM calm!_ How about 'cause Elsa's prettier than me and she makes ice and you're an ice harvester?! That's why!" Anna retorted. "You're obsessed with ice and Elsa's the Snow Queen. That means you two prob'ly have some secret connection or something!"

"Anna, where did you get the idea that your sister is prettier than you are?" Kristoff asked calmly.

"My eyes, of course," Anna said, as if that were the stupidest question in the world. "Elsa looks dramatic and exotic. She's beautiful. She has all that thick platinum hair and those big, pretty, blue eyes. And…and…" she paused thinking of any other specific random thing about her sister's appearance that she thought was better than her own, "and Elsa has nice legs, even if one of 'em doesn't work right!"

Kristoff just stared at Anna. "Well, _I_ like the way _you_ look, not Elsa. I mean, she's ok, I suppose, but-"

"Then you think Elsa isn't pretty at all then?! Don't pick on her!" Anna interrupted, quick to defend Elsa even though she was mad at her. _She_ could be mad at Elsa, but she would not have someone else pick on her.

"I didn't say that!"

"You must have kissed Elsa or something then. I bet Elsa doesn't know how to kiss anyone properly," Anna announced matter-of-factly. "That stinker."

"Anna, you are being completely crazy at the moment. You made your sister cry. I saw her when she went inside. Why don't you go talk to her?" Kristoff suggested. An angry Anna could not be reasoned with; he knew this quite well already.

"Maybe Elsa shouldn't have let you kiss her then."

"I DID NOT KISS ELSA!"

Agdar came out on the castle steps to investigate all the commotion. "Take the argument inside. You two are going to freeze out here," he said flatly. "By the way, I find it hard to believe Elsa would let _anyone_ kiss her. Perhaps keep that in mind?" He went back inside intending to find Elsa and hear what she knew about that argument outside.

* * *

Elsa ran into her mother at the bottom of the staircase. "Sorry, Mama," she muttered. _I just want to go upstairs, that's all…_

Idun took one look at the way Elsa was standing with her head down and her arms wrapped around her middle hugging herself; and immediately knew something was wrong. "What's wrong, Elsa?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing. Go away, Mama," Elsa replied a bit shakily. "Just for now, though…please?" _I am not going to start acting childish and crying for mommy just because Anna is mad at me. Aren't sisters supposed to get mad at each other sometimes? It's just…just…I don't know or understand what I did wrong!_

"I'll not leave you alone again when you're upset, sweetie," Idun said firmly. Rather than listen to Elsa's request for her to 'go away, Mama', Idun picked her daughter up and simply carried her upstairs. _I don't know why my little girl is upset, but I will not just abandon her. Never again._

Elsa was so surprised she didn't resist or put up a fuss. _My mother picked me up…she's carrying_ me _upstairs. And not because I can't get up there on my own, either. Just because she cares that I'm upset…_ She leaned her head against her mother's shoulder and smiled a tiny bit as she absentmindedly fingered her single braid draped over her shoulder.

"Elsa, quit that," Idun scolded a second later. "You did that once in a while when you were little, too. Don't nibble your braid. Silly girl."

Elsa's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment when she realized what she was doing. _Elsa, you're stupid. Why on earth did you do that?! Reverting back to something that was babyish when you were six and seven. Good grief._ She looked up at her mother in confusion as Idun carried her into her parents' room. "Why in here?" Elsa asked.

"I didn't think it was good for you to be in your own room if you felt upset, that's all." Idun gently set Elsa down in one of the big recliners next to the fireplace and then sat down herself across from her.

Elsa remembered these chairs clearly from when she was a little girl. She and Anna hadn't been allowed to sit in them unless someone was watching them because the chairs were expensive and neither Agdar nor Idun had wanted their two little girls playing with the chairs. Little Elsa had loved sitting with her baby sister curled up in one of the recliners and holding Anna while she took a nap. Even now, the big soft chair dwarfed Elsa's slender frame. "I loved these chairs when I was little," Elsa commented quietly. "I liked holding A-Anna while she took her naps…" Elsa's voice faltered at her sister's name. _And now my baby sister is mad at me, and I don't think I even did anything wrong._

Idun frowned at the single but unmistakable stammer Elsa had made. "Elsa, what happened to or with your sister?" she asked.

 _Should I tell Mo…Mama what happened? I suppose it can't hurt…can it?_ Elsa fiddled with the skirt of her dress as she gave a quick explanation. "Anna thinks I kissed Kristoff because he took me where I found Drífa to let her go. I didn't think Anna even wanted to come, but…Mama, I swear I didn't get anywhere _near_ Kristoff! I didn't even let him help me into or out of the sled." Elsa's blue eyes began welling with tears all over again as she remembered Anna's angry expression. _Calm down, Elsa…calm down…_

"And Anna is angry with you because of that?" Idun guessed. "Oh, sweetie, just wait until your sister has calmed down and then tell her what really happened. I am quite sure that you know angry Anna is impossible to reason with."

"But Anna thinks I haven't been spending as much time with her recently because I was with _her_ fiancée, and I can't tell her what I've really been doing because it will ruin the surprise birthday party," Elsa replied softly. "If I were Anna, I'd be mad too!" _What was Anna supposed to think? I can't blame her, really._ Elsa jumped when she heard a knock on the door and struggled to her feet.

* * *

"Thought she might be here," Agdar said, ushering a very angry Kristoff and a very angry Anna inside. "You two need to chill out. I don't know what is going on, but I do know she" he pointed at Elsa, "did not kiss Kristoff. Discuss away."

"Miss hothead here thinks I've dumped her just because I took Elsa to let that silly wolf go!" Kristoff exclaimed. "Anna, why on earth would I dump you for Elsa anyway? She gets emotional over little tiny things; she can't walk right; she's the stinking _queen_ for goodness sakes! Wait…what did I just say? I'm sorry, Elsa."

"Bug off about Elsa's emotions! And it's not her fault she can't walk right!" Anna retorted; then turned on her sister. "And you are a horrible sister 'cause you kissed him!"

"I did not kiss him or anything else of the sort!" Elsa exclaimed. "Why would I even want to do that?! Anna, please… _please_ calm down. I swear I didn't get anywhere even close to your fiancée. I'm sorry I went somewhere and didn't invite you, but I didn't think you wanted to come."

Anna seemed to be mollified by this for a moment, but then scowled again. "Then why are you shutting me out again? You have _not_ been busy with Christmas stuff; I just know it! It's like you're avoiding me. Didn't you do that for long enough?!" Despite her angry tone, tears began streaming down Anna's cheeks anyway. "I think I've spoiled you! You take me for granted now 'cause I'm right by your side all the time every time you get upset. Like right this second, _everybody's_ taking poor little Elsa's side and nobody will even listen to me! It's not fair! The past wasn't fun for me, either! The abnormal queen and the useless spare. That's what we are."

Elsa's hands balled into fists at her sides; and she wasn't sure what she should say or do. Part of her wanted to curl up and go hide in a hole, but another part wanted to yell back that everyone _should_ be taking her side in this instance because she hadn't done anything wrong. _And yet…I think Anna has a point. She just said the most horrible things that have the slightest bit of truth to them._ Elsa looked down at the floor as tears began trickling down her own cheeks. How must Anna have felt when Elsa refused to come out of her room for Anna's birthdays? She probably thought Elsa hated her. Memories ran through Elsa's mind; each one dredging up pictures of what had probably been going on outside her door. _It wasn't fair to either one of us._

"I'm ugly and stupid and you're still just a scared little girl. I-"

"That's enough," Elsa said finally, her calm voice not matching the distressed expression on her face. "I said, _that's enough._ " She struggled to stop crying and dissolve the snowflakes falling her around her to no avail. _Embarrassing. You_ are _just a scared little girl, Elsa. The person you thought would never tell you such a thing just told you so. And Anna just called herself ugly and stupid! Why?! What has gotten into her? She's not even just jumping all over my case; she's picking on herself._ Elsa found herself hesitantly heading straight for Anna and tried to hug her, but Anna backed away.

"Go away, Elsa."

Something within Elsa cracked, and she collapsed to the floor, trying to hold back anguished sobs. _You deserved that, Elsa,_ a sadistic voice inside her said. _You said that to your baby sister for years. Déjà vu in reverse hurts, doesn't it?_ "Anna…Anna…I'm sorry…so sorry…"

* * *

Anna suddenly realized just what she had done. _I…I hurt her. On purpose. Because I was mad._ She dropped to her knees beside her sister and clutched the older girl close. _Elsa didn't do anything wrong; I know she didn't. She must have some sort of good reason for being 'busy' and avoiding me recently._ "Elsa…I'm sorry I got so mad," she whispered. Anna hugged Elsa tightly, not knowing what to say. _I probably lost Elsa's trust…it's still hard for her to trust people and I took the idea that she would always have her sister there with her away from her._

Elsa felt confused now-wasn't Anna mad at her?-and she was still trembling a bit, but she slowly began to relax in her sister's arms. She started to curl into a ball; then realized the brace wouldn't let her and scowled as she pulled away from Anna, took it off, and pulled both knees to her chest and snuggled back up next to Anna. _I'm safe. Anna just says a ton of nonsense when she's mad. I just have to find the tiny bit of truth in it and discuss it with her later. I can do that._ A few months ago, Elsa might have descended into a panic attack or taken a long time to calm down; but now it was easier for Elsa to get out of her upset moods. She felt perfectly content now. "Thank you, Anna," she said softly.

Anna held her big sister tightly as she got to her feet, still holding Elsa. She glanced at her mother and to one of the big recliners and back again. _Can I sit there with Elsa?_

Idun immediately nodded, and Anna settled herself and Elsa in the squishy chair, keeping one arm tossed around Elsa's shoulders. That chair was big enough for the two girls to sit side by side easily without squashing each other. "You're not just a scared little girl," Anna said firmly.

"You aren't ugly and stupid, either," Elsa replied. She pointed at her bad leg, which was all weak, limp, and floppy without her brace, and gave her sister a lopsided smile. " _That's_ ugly and stupid. I can say that 'cause it's mine."

Anna just shook her head. "Looks just like it did before you got hurt, you stinker! Really. If I didn't know what happened, I'd think it worked fine." _Elsa shouldn't pick on herself. It's not like I have a lot of room to talk after what I said, but still._ "And…did you seriously make a new brace out of ice?! That's cool-pun intended!"

Elsa gave her sister a lopsided smile. "Yes I did…it's more comfortable and I can walk a bit better," she explained. "Anna…why did you call yourself ugly and stupid?" Elsa asked quietly. "You say a lot of nonsense when you're angry, but it usually has a tiny bit of truth to it. Like I'm not 'just a scared little girl', but I am sometimes. You _do_ spoil me, but I don't take you for granted. At least I hope I don't…anyways, things like that." _And why did you call yourself a useless spare?! I'd never be able to take care of Arendelle properly without you._

Anna scowled. "Well, I don't exactly think I'm ugly and stupid, but I do think you're way prettier and smarter. That's why I thought Kristoff might've dumped me for you. And he's obsessed with ice, and you can create it for goodness sakes."

Elsa put her own arms around her little sister and gave her a comforting squeeze. _How could Anna possibly think that?! Anna_ is _pretty. I'm just...strange. Okay-looking, I suppose, but strange. I bet anyone would think there's something odd about me even if they had no idea I had ice powers._ "At least you don't have weird platinum hair that makes you stick out wherever you go," she teased. "And I really, really don't think Kristoff randomly likes me because I can create ice. He's just obsessed with ice itself. I'd expect him to kiss my ice palace a hundred times over than me myself. And I bet he thinks I'm bossy and prissy."

"Bossy yes. Prissy no," Kristoff interjected. "Anna, I love _you_. Not Elsa. I mean, I care what happens to her, I like her as an older sister; but I don't love her the way I do you. All right?" Kristoff's cheeks were red in embarrassment at his outright admission of love for the princess.

"You don't wanna kiss Elsa?" Anna asked.

Elsa couldn't hold back her giggles. "Anna, I don't think he would want to kiss me anyway, even if he wasn't engaged to you. I don't know how to kiss anyone," she announced.

Ideas began flying through Anna's head; if her big sister had never been kissed, then she would have to fix that, wouldn't she? She could find some nice boy in Arendelle that would be just perfect for Elsa, couldn't she? "No one's ever kissed you, Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Sure, Drífa gave me lots of slobbery dog kisses. Mama gave me good-night kisses when I was little, too. Shall I go on?" Elsa's eyes sparkled with amusement; she knew quite well those kisses were _not_ what Anna meant.

"Stinker! That's not what I meant, and you know it! I mean a boy," Anna clarified. _Elsa is funny. Although she does have a point…that means the term 'first kiss' isn't exactly accurate. It should be 'first romantic kiss'._

Elsa just stared at her sister. "Anna, do you really think I would let some random boy kiss me? You know I wouldn't. And don't get any ideas! I don't want a date of any kind. If I ever do decide I like someone, I'll send him packing anyway because I won't have someone meddling with Arendelle's government, even if he is just a king consort. Just…no," she said firmly.

"And no, Anna, I don't and will not ever want to kiss Elsa," Kristoff assured her. "A brother probably wouldn't kiss his sister, at least not after they're, like, really little kids. And a sister is what Elsa seems like to me."

Anna hopped up and gave Kristoff a hug. "Sorry I got all crazy mad. Can I have a kiss? Pretty please?"

Elsa made a face but stayed put and resisted the urge to interfere. _I still don't like the idea of anyone kissing my little sister. Or Anna being engaged, for that matter. But at least she's happy again. What a crazy misunderstanding._


	26. Happy Birthday, Anna!

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **raven678-Glad you liked it!:) I'm updating as often as I can-I have a lot of schoolwork, and...yeah.:/ I'm sorry. I'm glad I'm mostly editing and not actually trying to write the story out now.:) (I'm close to the end where I'm actually writing in my Word document:))**

 **Dragonheart35-I just thought Anna probably would ping off the walls like that, so...yeah.:P That happened. Also, I think while Anna doesn't appear to have any emotional marks on her from the past, she _does_ probably have slight insecurities. Like Elsa pointed out, angry Anna says a lot of nonsense when she's mad that have a bit of truth to them.:P Maybe because Anna and Elsa practically NEVER fight, even though they're sisters. I just found it unrealistic that the two of them would never, ever have a fight.:P**

 **Mandy-They're sisters. I don't care what kind of inseparable bond they have together; they _will_ fight sometimes. Elsa and Anna are, after all, still human. And they're teenage girls (well, okay, Elsa's twenty-one, but whatever:)). Yes, Anna thinking Elsa betrayed her with Kristoff is totally ridiculous, but it was the first conclusion Anna jumped to. And I think Anna is _definitely_ someone who jumps to conclusions.:) I'm sorry the updates are taking longer.:/**

 **On to the story!:)**

The night before Anna's birthday, Elsa stayed awake late into the night…again…setting up things for her sister's birthday the next day. "Kai, the portrait's crooked," Elsa whispered for the third time, pointing up at the family portrait she had had commissioned especially for Anna's birthday hanging on the wall.

Kai sighed and adjusted the picture ever so slightly. "Better, Miss Elsa?"

"Now it's tilted the other way." Elsa frowned up at the picture, which was quite honestly just about perfectly straight. Perhaps crooked no more than a millimeter. "I want everything to be absolutely perfect. Please fix it?"

"Queen Elsa, your sister is just going to take it down the second she sees it and take it up to her room anyway," Kai pointed out, but he adjusted the picture again.

Elsa bit her lip and stared at the picture. "I think that's okay…Kai, where's Anna's birthday dress? Did Gerda finish it? Maybe I need to help finish it, and…and what if it's not done? I _have_ to give it to Anna, and I can't make her an ice-dress because she'll freeze, but I'm going to-" She broke off when Kai clambered down from the ladder and put both hands on her shoulders. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Miss Elsa, but calm down. Everything will be fine. You've gotten barely any sleep the last few days. Maybe you should go to bed before you make yourself sick. It's already past one in the morning, and you'll be wanting to spend all day with the princess tomorrow," Kai told her.

"I don't want 'fine'; I want _perfect…_ I don't want to…to ruin Anna's birthday again…" Elsa's voice trailed off. _I don't get sick. Not unless I do way too much with my powers, and I haven't done that._ Elsa put her hand to her throat and frowned. Now that she thought about it, her throat did feel rather scratchy. But that was just because she was too tired or something, right? She shrugged it off and focused on the string in her hands. _I just have to finish winding the string and then I can go to sleep. I've already done most of it…I just have to do the last little bit leading to Anna's room._ Elsa stifled a yawn and limped off with the string.

"Queen Elsa. Now what are you doing?"

"The string…almost done," Elsa said tiredly.

Kai quickly took the string away from her. Queen or not, the girl needed her sleep. "Miss Elsa, go to bed. I'll finish the string. This isn't something only you can do, like signing documents or something. I promise I'll do it exactly like you said you wanted it," he assured her.

Elsa really was exhausted, so she didn't put up a fuss. _I can't be half-asleep all day tomorrow when it's Anna's birthday…maybe I'd better go to bed…_ "Good night…please make sure it doesn't get all tangled…"

* * *

Elsa awoke early the next morning sniffling slightly, her throat still feeling scratchy. _Elsa, you are not sick. You can't get sick. No, no, no…allergies…except I don't think most allergies would pop up randomly in the winter._ Elsa ignored the telltale sign that she was most likely sick and quickly got dressed and re-braided her hair. "I just have to make sure everything downstairs is perfect, and then wake Anna up," she told her reflection.

Elsa limped out into the hall as fast as she could go, which really wasn't very fast; and quickly decided she did not have time for this. Instantly she went sliding down the hall and down the staircase on a path of ice. _That was easy. I didn't have to use all the energy 'flying' does, either._ She nearly ran into Kiara, who was scowling; Elsa assumed she must have just taken her brother his breakfast down in the dungeon.

"Hi, Snow Queen Elsa. You know what my cuckoo-headed brother just told me? He said I should have 'kept my powers even though they were from an accident that was mostly his fault'! All those times he told me to get lost and calling me names and whatever else, and now he says that! Drip. Big, fat, idiotic drip!" Kiara ranted. Then in a calmer voice, "I'm not sorry I got rid of 'em, but what do you think, Elsa?"

 _That must be Hans's idea of an apology! It's the beginnings of one, anyways._ "I think that Hans was trying to apologize without actually outright saying 'I'm sorry'," Elsa said. "And I think that it was your own decision about the electricity powers. I'm not sure what I would have done if I was in your place, to be honest."

Kiara scoffed at that. "Hans never apologizes for anything. Ever. Elsa, me and him don't have a super close relationship like you and Anna do. _None_ of my siblings do. You're trying to get us to reconnect and actually be a brother and sister to each other, and I don't think it's going to work." She paused before adding, "I'm gonna stay away from you 'til the party later…I'll watch Olaf and Rania like you said to do. And I'll help Kristoff with that painted birthday banner in the ballroom if he'll let me…by the way, you didn't have to come down here to check on stuff. Everything's all set. It should be after all that fuss you've been making, staying up half the night and whatever else."

Elsa smiled as she headed back upstairs. "Thank you, Kiara." _I'm going to go talk to Hans in the dungeon tomorrow and see what's what. Even a half apology is better than none. I think the whole Westergaard family needs help. If I can help Kiara and Hans, then they can help the rest of their family._

* * *

Back upstairs in her room, Elsa quickly created her summery ice-dress idea that she had come up with awhile ago. _I should have done this earlier. What an idiot…have to get ready twice just because I forgot I wanted to do this._ It had the same general design as her original ice-dress, but it was a shimmering emerald green that had leaf shaped ice crystals on the bodice and pink icy flowers based off snowflake patterns; and it was sleeveless rather than long sleeves. _I love it! I look summery and wintery at the same time. Perfect._ Elsa smiled at her reflection and created a large pink and purple icy snowflake-flower in her hand; then clipped it in her hair. And then she exchanged her usual snowflakes scattered through her braid for tiny purple ice-flowers. _I'm ready for Anna's birthday now._

"Anna?" Elsa gently shook her sleeping sister's shoulder a few minutes later. "Wake up, wake up, wake up! Happy birthday!" she said softly.

" _To you_ …" Anna continued the birthday song in her sleep.

"No, no, silly! It's _your_ birthday!" Elsa wrinkled her nose, trying to hold back a sneeze. _You are not sick, Elsa. You are not going to be sick. You can't get sick._

" _To me…_ " Anna started singing again; then abruptly sat up, wide awake. "It's my birthday?!" _Yeah, it is! I forgot all about it! My first birthday I get to actually spend with Elsa!_ She hopped out of bed and hugged her big sister close. "Why'd you come in here though, Elsa? Today's not really a super big deal…I just want to be with you, that's all."

Elsa gave Anna a lopsided smile. _It is too a big deal. I'm going to make sure this day is perfect. Absolutely perfect._ "You've never had a _real_ birthday before, Anna…except of course the ones you spent outside my locked door," she said softly. "I'm sorry I ignored you and told you to go away so much…" _I want to fix that. I don't know if I can, but I'm going to try._ "So I'm here way too late to help you celebrate, and… Why on earth am I rhyming everything?! I must sound ridiculous!" Elsa started giggling and couldn't hold back a sneeze. " _Achoo!"_

Anna frowned at her sister's sneeze. _She just went and sneezed snowflakes. Gerda said Elsa did that when she got sick when she was little…_ "Elsa, I'm thinking you might have a cold…and you sneeze like a cat," she teased, although it was true. Elsa's dainty sneeze sounded exactly like the kitten she and Kiara had found a few days before did when they sneezed. (Anna and Kiara were keeping it hidden in an empty room upstairs in the castle. So far, nobody had found it.)

"I don't get colds," Elsa announced. "Besides…a cold never bothered me anyway," she quipped.

"Elsa, you're immune to cold temperature-wise, yes; but I don't think you're immune to cold sick-wise," Anna told her. _I know she's not. If she was, she wouldn't have gotten sick as a child, then. What if Elsa really is sick? She probably hasn't really gotten sick since she was little…that means she doesn't have natural immunity to much of anything, doesn't it?_

Elsa ignored this and showed Anna her birthday dress hanging on the door to her wardrobe. "See, Anna, here's your first birthday present," she said happily, handing the dress to her sister. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! But it's freezing cold outside, sis. I can't run around in a summery dress like you can," Anna said. "Well, I don't care; I'm gonna wear it anyways. I'll just put a heavy coat on or a cloak or something if we go outside later." Anna ran into her bathroom with the dress, saying she would be right back.

Elsa went and looked out Anna's window and smiled when she both saw and felt that it was flurrying outside. _Perfect weather for us to go outside for a little while and then come back inside and feel all warm and cozy indoors with some hot chocolate. Well,_ warm _chocolate for me…I hate drinking hot things._

"So, Elsa, what d'you think?" Anna asked a few minutes later. "I love this dress! It's so pretty, and it kinda matches yours without being too matchy-matchy."

"You look like a sunflower," Elsa announced. " _Achoo_!" Two tiny snow creatures appeared on the floor when Elsa sneezed, but neither girl noticed as Elsa pulled her sister out the door. "I have surprises for today, Anna! Just follow the string!"

Anna giggled at seeing her big sister's excitement. _I think Elsa is as excited as I am. I just hope she's not really getting sick._ "Elsa, how'd you set all this up overnight?!" Anna exclaimed in surprise as she looked at the string wound all over the hallway and disappearing down the stairs.

"I had help. And I've been working on things for your birthday for awhile," Elsa replied, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. _So far, so good! Perfect birthday for Anna is what today is going to be. I'll make sure of it._

Anna figuratively froze. "You mean…you've been working on birthday things all this time? _That's_ why you weren't spending as much time with me?" Elsa nodded, and Anna immediately hugged her tightly. _I got all mad at her, and she was just working on things for MY birthday! I probably hurt her feelings worse than she was letting on…_ "I'm sorry, Elsa! So sorry…"

Elsa shrugged and gave her little sister a smile. "It's okay…just a misunderstanding. No big deal. Let's not talk about that. I want today to be _perfect_ for you," she told Anna. _I'd have been mad at me too if I had been in Anna's place. No big deal._

Anna dashed off down the hall following the string, yanking Elsa behind her. "C'mon!"

Elsa tried to keep up with Anna, only to trip because of her brace and land hard on the floor, which caused Anna to fall too. Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Elsa, you knew you couldn't run like Anna was doing. Why did you even try?_ "I'm sorry, Anna," she apologized.

To Elsa's utter surprise, Anna was just giggling. "Totally fine, Elsa! I shouldn't have randomly started running like that…it was like 'C'mon!' and then we both went splat!" Anna paused, wondering if it was even ok to think this was funny since it had happened because of Elsa's leg, but Elsa was giggling herself now. _Well, Elsa's happy and neither of us are hurt, so…it doesn't matter._

"I think I have a better plan," Elsa said now, trying to stifle her laughter. _Now that Anna pointed it out, I suppose that_ was _pretty funny._ "I _was_ just going to do this later outside, but I'm going to slow us down if I keep trying to just walk on my own. Climb in!" A small ice sled…car…vehicle…thing appeared in front of the two girls that was just big enough for them to sit in. _This is more like it!_

Anna beamed and climbed in the little ice creation with her sister. "I get to steer?!" she asked when Elsa put a circular thing in her hands.

"Yes, you do. I power it, and you steer it. So don't drive us into a wall or something," Elsa teased. "Ready…set…go! Just follow the string!"

* * *

Soon Anna had a pile of presents in her lap, and she followed the string right outside into the courtyard. "Elsa, it's too cold outside for me!" she squealed at the sensation of the freezing air outside. Just then, a heavy and soft something fell right on her head, and she heard Elsa giggling madly beside her.

Elsa let their ice-sled come to a stop and quickly wrapped the heavy cloak from Oaken's around her sister's shoulders. "Are you still too cold?" Elsa asked, smiling. " _Achoo!_ " More tiny snow creatures appeared behind her and ran off, but neither girl noticed. Elsa sniffled, trying to hold back another sneeze, and caught Anna's worried glance.

"I think you're getting sick," Anna said hesitantly. "You sneezed several times while we were following the string around the castle, and now you're sniffling. And it's way, _way_ too cold for it to just be allergies or something. I think it's time you go back inside and get some rest."

"We are not stopping because the next one is the be…eh…eh-" As if to prove Anna's point, Elsa broke off and had to sneeze again. " _Achoo!_ " This time, Elsa both sneezed snowflakes _and_ several tiny snow creatures appeared. " _Achoo! Achoo_!" Elsa sniffled again and put one hand against her forehead. She had a nasty headache, and she was feeling both oddly way too hot and way too cold all of a sudden. Elsa knew that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold temperature outside. "I'm fine," she insisted when she saw Anna frowning at her in concern. _Elsa, you are not either fine. I am too! I have to be! Today has to be perfect for Anna. I will not ruin her birthday again._ "Really, I'm fine."

"Elsa, you gotta go lie down," Anna told her firmly. "You're sniffling, sneezing, and I'm pretty sure you've got a headache…" _If Elsa keeps pushing herself the rest of the day, she's gonna make herself seriously ill. She's so concerned about everything being perfect today she isn't paying attention to her body telling her it's had enough._

Elsa ignored this and carried all of Anna's presents back inside the castle; then plopped back down in the ice-sled and dissolved the steering device she had handed Anna. For this, she would have to steer it herself. "Anna, are you ready for the ride of your life?" she asked, giving her sister a smile. Without waiting for a reply, Elsa launched their sled up an ice ramp that formed as she needed it. Just as Elsa had predicted, Anna squealed in excitement beside her. _I knew Anna would love this! I just knew it._

"THIS IS AWESOME!" Anna yelled out. "Where are we going?!"

"Where do you want to go?" Elsa asked. "The Snow Queen's private vehicle is at your disposal!"

"The ice palace, maybe?"

"Let's go!"

* * *

Elsa began making them go faster and faster, much to Anna's combined terror and delight. It was unnerving to go flying along at who knew how fast when the path quite honestly was _forming as they needed it_. The cold air nipped at Anna's cheeks, and she hunkered down tighter inside her heavy cloak, but she was smiling from ear to ear. _I didn't realize Elsa was such a daredevil! Then again, this probably isn't really dangerous at all, or Elsa wouldn't have taken me on such a wild sled ride with her._

The sled slowed down as Elsa sneezed three times more, and Anna frowned. Elsa's face was flushed, her cheeks bright red against the paleness of the rest of her skin. Anna knew Elsa did not get cold, so it couldn't be because of that. _She has a fever. That's what it is. Elsa must have a fever._ "Elsa, this is too much. You need to rest!"

Elsa sped up the sled again as she shouted, "No way! We have to get to our birthday chills…I mean thrills!" she quickly corrected herself. Elsa felt very dizzy and her head was pounding, but she was determined to get Anna to the ice palace. That was what she was supposed to be doing, wasn't it? _Elsa, you have a fever,_ a bit of logic informed her. Elsa shivered as she made them go even faster. "You are my very best friend…everything must be perfect…!"

"Elsa…?"

"What? I'm fi-ine…" Elsa singsonged back. "We're gonna climb! We're gonna sing! Happy happy happy merry merry merry hot cold hot birthdaaayyy…"

Anna screamed, scared out of her wits, as Elsa completely lost control and literally fell out of their sled. Hoping beyond hope that she would actually catch her sister, Anna grabbed for Elsa's hand, fell out of the sled herself, and then found both herself and Elsa sprawled safely on the ice-ribbon thing over fifty feet in the air.

Anna heard a sickening splintering sound below them as the sled crashed to the ground and squeezed her sister tightly. _If I hadn't caught her…if I hadn't fallen out of that sled…oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness…_ "We're safe," Anna whispered, half to Elsa and half to herself. She frowned when she realized something else.

Her big sister was burning up. She was almost _hot_ to the touch. Elsa felt too warm even for someone without ice powers. For the Snow Queen, she probably had a dangerously high fever. _That's why she was acting so crazy. She's probably more than a little out of it right now._ "Elsa, look at you. You're burning up," Anna said softly.

"I can't get sick," Elsa said stubbornly, although she felt terrible. _My head hurts; my throat is sore; and I feel all congested. And I think I'm…cold._ Even her own ice didn't feel right. What was usually a pleasant cool feeling inside actually _hurt_. She could still feel the pure cold running through her whole body, but it was making her shiver and ache all over.

"Physically can't get sick or can't get sick because you're trying to make today perfect?" Anna asked gently. She laid one hand against Elsa's forehead and immediately frowned. _Elsa feels so hot to the touch, but she's…shivering. I have to get her home and put her to bed. And fast._

 _I ruined everything. Again. I just wanted to give Anna one perfect birthday…_ Tears began trickling down Elsa's flushed cheeks, and she scooted away from her sister and tried to stand up using her air currents, but immediately collapsed in a trembling heap on the ice-ribbon holding her aching hand to her chest. _What's going on? Why is it actually painful to use my powers?! What's wrong with me? Can't leave Anna out here…she'll freeze, even with that cloak…we're a long ways from home…have to fix this…_

 _Keep Anna away from you, Elsa. You don't want her to get sick too, do you?_ Elsa determinedly held out her hand again and willed a new ice-sled into existence, despite the fact that making ice made her shake painfully all the more. _I haven't really gotten sick since I was little…I hate this…_ "An…Anna…p-please get in," she whispered shakily; then just slumped on her side only half-conscious.

Anna wasn't sure what to do, but she knew Elsa didn't just have a slight case of the sniffles or something. Elsa had gone from acting like she was mostly all right, if a bit silly, to lying on the ice half-conscious and shaking all over in less than a minute. _Elsa's seriously sick. I don't know what's wrong with her, but she shouldn't be so hot and shivering like she is._ She quickly knelt by her sister's side and gently pulled her close. Maybe Anna's own body heat would help Elsa stop shivering so much. _She's wearing a dress made of ice besides. That doesn't help…_ "Elsa, you push yourself too hard," she scolded quietly.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I just wanted to give you one perfect birthday…and I ruined it. Again," Elsa said softly, tears running down her cheeks once more. _And we're out in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold. I ruined everything. Again._

"You didn't ruin anything. Let's just try and get you home," Anna told her. She could feel Elsa's trembling body growing more and more limp in her arms by the second, and she didn't know what to do to help. _Wait! There is one thing I can do…_ Anna quickly took off her own big heavy cloak Elsa had given her, climbed into the ice-sled, and wrapped the thick cloak around both of them, making sure to keep her feverish sister nestled inside. _I'm not immune to cold like Elsa is ordinarily, but she's the one who's sick. She needs something warm too._

Elsa had spotted Wandering Oaken's Trading Post (and sauna) a short ways away below them, and bit her lip before forcing out a ramp of ice directly to the small building below them before immediately passing out.

"ELSA!" Anna screamed. _She's still breathing fine, but she's shaking so much and she looks like she's in pain…oh, Elsa, why did you do this to yourself? Just for my birthday?_ Anna pressed one hand to Elsa's forehead to check her temperature again, but Elsa just felt even hotter, if there was even any change at all. She quickly wrapped her sister up in the cloak and laid her down in the sled; then ran behind the sled and pushed off and hopped back into the sled beside Elsa. Anna could feel goosebumps forming all over her own arms and legs now without the cloak, but they would be safe indoors at Oaken's in less than a minute. _I'll be fine. A minute outdoors isn't going to hurt me. I have to help Elsa._

* * *

The second the sled came to a stop directly in front of Oaken's, Anna scooped Elsa up and stumbled inside. Elsa stirred in her arms and blinked dazedly at her. "Safe now?" Elsa asked hopefully.

"Yes, safe now," Anna said, giving her sister a reassuring smile.

"Hoo hoo! Welcome! And to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Oaken's accented and pleasant voice greeted them. Elsa sneezed, and Oaken immediately offered, "Are you sick? How about a cold remedy of my own invention?"

"No thanks," said Elsa.

"We'll take it," said Anna. Then she added, "Oaken, she hasn't just got a cold, though…we need two sets of winter clothes, please."

Oaken's pleasant grin abruptly disappeared. "Certainly, your highness. I have just the thing right here," he said quickly. "You may use the empty storage room to change if you wish," he added, opening the door for the two girls.

Anna gently laid her sister down and handed her one set of clothes. "I know you'll want to change yourself, so I'll just turn my back, 'kay?"

"Thank you…Anna," Elsa managed to say. She felt too sick to even make sure Anna kept her back turned; so she just trusted Anna to keep her word. Elsa slipped off her emerald green ice-dress, which was probably just accentuating the fact that she felt cold; and quickly pulled on the winter outfit instead. _It looks like that one Anna has, except it has a magenta skirt and a blue cloak instead of the other way around. I like it._ Elsa couldn't bring herself to pull on the mittens though, despite the fact that her hands were shaking uncontrollably. It felt too much like wearing gloves to her. "I'm finished now," Elsa said almost inaudibly as she reached for her brace; then immediately shuddered when the ice touched her leg, even though she was wearing thick tights now. _I didn't even bring the other one. I can't wear this. And this means not only can I not get us back home via the ice-sled; I can't walk back, either._ On impulse, Elsa stuck out one hand and made her brace made of ice disappear entirely; then buried her face in her hands, not knowing what to do.

Anna bit her lip as she turned around just as Elsa had dissolved it, and quickly knelt next to her sister and helped her lie down. "Elsa, just lay still for now," she said quietly. "Let me change, and then we'll figure out what to do. You couldn't put that brace back on your leg right now anyway, so don't feel bad for getting rid of it. You can just make a new one when you get better." _She's already asleep,_ Anna realized. She quickly changed her own clothes and folded up their other dresses; then gently shook Elsa's shoulder. "Come on, sis. Let's go home."

"How? I c-can't…walk back…" Elsa's quivery voice trailed off, and her blue eyes drifted shut again.

"I'm going to carry you," Anna said firmly. "Actually, no. You're going to lie down in the ice-sled, and I'll pull you. That way you can rest, and it should be easier for me, too. Come on." She scooped Elsa up, despite her weak protests, and carried her out of the storage room. _And Elsa needs to put her mittens on. I know exactly why she didn't, though…_ "Thank you, Oaken," Anna told the burly man thankfully.

"Queen Elsa appears ill. May I volunteer to take the both of you home in my own sled?" Oaken offered.

"What about your shop? But…but that would be helpful," Anna said sheepishly. _It'll be faster, and Elsa won't have to lie on the ice in the ice-sled. She's probably miserable enough right now with her own ice inside her. And no one can help her with that…she'll just feel better when she recovers._

"Anything for our beloved queen and princess," Oaken assured her. "Wait here. I will be right back."

* * *

Soon Anna was sitting in the back of Oaken's sled as Oaken took them back to the castle as fast as possible. Anna cradled Elsa securely in her arms and held her still-trembling body close. She had wrapped her thick birthday present cloak around Elsa tightly on top of the blue cloak Elsa was already wearing; but her sister was still shaking all over. "You're gonna be fine, Elsa," Anna whispered, as much for her own benefit as Elsa's. _Elsa has to be fine. She just has to. It's just…I've never, ever seen her like this before…_

"Anna…it…it hurts," Elsa whimpered, trying to press herself closer to Anna, despite all the thick layers of clothing she was wearing. _Anna could put twenty layers of clothing on me, and I don't think it would help. It's my own ice inside me that's hurting._ Her whole body ached badly; the usual ice flowing through her hurt terribly because of her fever. Putting Elsa's usually cool self under the effects of a fever made the general symptoms of a high fever on an ordinary person much worse. If Anna had had a high fever, she would probably be achy and feel generally terrible too; but for Elsa, it _hurt_. It hurt a _lot_.

Anna's mind immediately flew to the only times she had heard Elsa say 'It hurts' in that whimpering voice. _Elsa hasn't had a full-on panic attack in ages! I thought she was ok as far as that goes now._ "Elsa…are you feeling like you're about to have a panic attack?" she asked hesitantly.

"N-no…my body hurts…all over…so cold, Anna…so cold…not good cold. Achy. Hurts…" Elsa's expression suddenly changed to a childish pout as she pulled one hand out from inside her cocoon of cloaks and such, and held it in front of her face. " _My_ snowflake. I want my snowflake!" she complained. "Snow Queen Elsa… _my_ snowflake…I'm s'posed to be immune to cold!" Elsa smiled contentedly when an ice snowflake appeared in her hand, despite the fact that making the little snowflake had hurt quite a bit. "Mine," she informed Anna. Elsa's eyes fluttered shut as she clutched her snowflake tightly.

Anna frowned, confused at her sister's odd behavior. _Well, whatever makes her happy. But she can't hold that all the way home._ She gently slipped mittens on Elsa's shaking hands, hoping she was doing the right thing. Then she gave the little ice snowflake back to her sister.

Elsa didn't react at first, then abruptly announced, "Conceal, don't feel is stupid," in a very clear voice, although her eyes remained closed.

 _What is going on? Why is Elsa acting so strange? Is her fever that high that she's not completely clear-headed? Probably…_ Anna wasn't sure whether to be worried or relieved that Elsa was sleeping peacefully now. "Well, we'll get you better ASAP the second we get home," she whispered in her sister's ear.

* * *

The second they arrived back home at the castle, Anna thanked Oaken and climbed out of the sled, still holding Elsa in her arms.

Elsa stirred and blinked up at Anna in confusion. "An…Anna…where are we?" She looked up at the castle and then back at Anna. "Why are we visiting the castle?"

"We…we live here," Anna told her, puzzled as to why Elsa would say such a thing. _Elsa needs help, and fast. I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's acting really strange._

"Why does my neck hurt and feel all stiff?" was Elsa's next question. _Wait a second…what's wrong with me? Anna is right. I_ live _here!_

Anna frowned. "I don't know, sis, but you're sick. We have to get you into bed and get you better," she said softly.

Elsa suddenly remembered something. Today was supposed to be Anna's perfect birthday. There was a party waiting for her little sister in the ballroom. _And I ruined it. I can't go to the party like this. I'd probably just collapse or something. Well, Anna can enjoy it by herself…I suppose. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY TOGETHER!_ "Anna…dump me in my room and go back downstairs," Elsa said as firmly as her shaky voice would let her.

"No. You need help." Anna quickly climbed upstairs and carried her sister down the hall to her room. "Elsa, you need to rest and I am not leaving you alone. Whatever other birthday things you planned can wait 'til you're better."

Elsa's face fell. "I _ruined_ everything," she whispered. "Anna, _please_ go downstairs. Please. You have to." _I just wanted Anna to have one perfect birthday, and I ruined it. Again._ "As queen, I order you to go downstairs to the ballroom," Elsa announced after a moment; although her order wasn't very authoritative, considering she was lying on her bed, her cheeks were flushed, and her voice was shaky. "And I hate gloves!" she exclaimed, and the childish Elsa was back. In a second, Elsa's mittens were tossed on the floor, and she weakly turned over, clutching her little ice snowflake close.

Anna wasn't sure what to do; she knew Elsa would probably be doubly upset if Anna didn't at least go downstairs for a few minutes. And yet she really, really did not want to leave Elsa alone in her condition. "What if I bring Gerda back up here, peek in the ballroom for a minute, and come right back?" Anna offered.

"No! Anna has t-to go to the p-party!" Elsa demanded. "It's your birthday…I wanna come d-downstairs too…" She started to sit up and try to climb off her bed, but Anna was there in a second gently pushing her back against the pillows.

"Elsa, you can't come downstairs. Stay here in your room and rest," Anna said firmly. "You're sick."

Elsa's blue eyes immediately started welling with tears. Why did Anna want her to stay in her room? Maybe she had done something wrong. _You did do something wrong. You messed up Anna's birthday, just like all those years since you were eight,_ Elsa's feverish thoughts accused her. "I…I'm…sorry…Anna…"

Anna's heart twisted at hearing her sister's pained, weak voice apologize like that. _Elsa didn't do anything wrong. Well, except for pushing herself way too hard…_ "It's all right, Elsa. You can't help being sick," Anna said softly. "And the _only_ reason I want you to stay here is so you can rest. That's all." She stroked Elsa's hair lightly, knowing that usually calmed Elsa down and made her feel better. "You know, I think today _is_ perfect…well, except for you being sick. But, I mean, birthday-wise? Absolutely perfect. All I really wanted was to get to spend the day with you. And I'm doing that. I'd really rather stay here with you than go downstairs."

"But…but I'm icky and gross and I can't do anything with you…and the guests…" Elsa looked absolutely miserable-she was still shivering uncontrollably all over, although not quite as badly as she had outside. And Elsa's face was very flushed; and she had a terrible headache, which showed in her pained gaze.

Anna pressed one of Elsa's too-warm hands against her cheek, wishing she could get Elsa to stop shivering. "You can let me take care of you 'til you're better," she told her sister with a smile. "And how's this? I'll go downstairs and say you're ill and the celebrations are off, but will be rescheduled at a later time. Is that all right?"

Elsa started to nod, but then winced and clutched her stomach. "My tummy hurts," she whispered. "Th-that's…fine…I think…" _Anna should stay away from me. I don't want her to get sick too…_

* * *

Just then, Gerda walked by and saw the two girls since Elsa's room's door was open. "Miss Elsa, what is going on? The guests are waiting for you two downs-" Gerda took one closer look at Elsa and immediately knew the girl was ill. "Princess Anna, wash your hands and leave this room immediately. Change your clothes and run downstairs and tell the guests the party will have to be postponed." Gerda sat by Elsa's side and gently pressed one hand to her forehead. _Elsa has a fever that's dangerously high for her. It probably would be a low fever for anyone else, but for Elsa, this is not good._

Anna bit her lip, told Elsa good-bye, and ran off to do what Gerda had told her to do. _Elsa better be ok. Gerda looked really concerned…_

Elsa's eyes drifted shut again. She felt so, so tired and her body hurt all over. She could feel her own ice begging to be let out and yet it also felt like it just wanted to rest but couldn't. _Maybe my powers just hate being in contact with my fever? I don't know…_

"Miss Elsa, where does it hurt?" Gerda asked quietly. "Please tell the truth."

"All…over. My ice hurts," Elsa replied miserably. "'Specially my head and my tummy. And my neck…"

 _I don't think Elsa just has a cold…_ Gerda began speaking briskly, knowing Elsa probably hated not only being sick, but people fussing over her as well. "All right, Miss Elsa, let's get you into bed properly and get rid of these winter clothes. It's not good for you to have so many layers on. Not to mention, I think your powers are making you feel cold from the inside, not the outside air."

Elsa didn't resist as Gerda stripped her down to her lightweight chemise; then just picked her up and tucked her under the covers. _Gerda was right…I feel exactly the same without all those heavy things on me, if not ever so slightly better._ She still felt awful, but at least she didn't have the icky feeling of all that heavy winter clothing on her anymore. "Thank…y-y-y-" Elsa struggled, her voice refusing to cooperate, probably because her throat was sore, too.

"Don't try to talk, Miss Elsa. And you're quite welcome. I'll be right back." Gerda went into Elsa's bathroom for a minute and came back with a bowl of cold water and several washcloths.

Elsa flinched when she felt a cool wet something on her forehead. Usually Elsa liked something cool or cold against her skin, but right now it made her shudder. She had enough cold inside her already. Elsa weakly lifted her hand and tried to push the cloth away.

"Miss Elsa, it's to help with the fever. I know it's probably uncomfortable, but please leave it alone," Gerda said gently. "We have to get your temperature down."

A single tear trickled down Elsa's drawn face, and she curled into a ball on her side as she broke down in sobs. "I r-ruined…Anna's…birthday," she whispered. "Again!" _It wasn't even because I lost control. It's just…me. Stupid, trouble-causing me._

Gerda wrung out a new cloth and gently pushed Elsa onto her back before laying it across Elsa's forehead. "You didn't ruin anything, Miss Elsa. All your sister wanted was to spend her birthday with you, and you gave her that and more. Now we just have to get you better, that's all." _If Elsa doesn't feel any better by tomorrow morning, I will send for the doctor myself. It worries me that she hasn't been sick since she was tiny, and now the one time she's ill, it's abrupt and appears rather serious…_

" _Achoo_!" Elsa's blue eyes went wide when she saw several little snow creatures scamper off her bed. "Gerda…? What are those?!" she asked. _Have I been doing that all day every time I sneezed?! So I_ am _out of control…_

"Ah, yes, there's a whole multitude of those little things downstairs," Gerda said nonchalantly, giving Elsa a smile. "Now we know where they came from. No big deal, Miss Elsa. They're quite friendly, just a bit mischievous." Gerda had known quite well already that the little snow creatures had been coming from none other than Elsa, so she wasn't surprised. "Your little snowman Olaf thinks they're his little brothers."

Elsa felt mortified. _I sneeze little snow creatures?! And all those guests saw them?! They'll think I'm out of control again! Dad will think I'm out of control again!_ She covered her face with her hands, utterly embarrassed.

* * *

Anna came trotting in with a wide smile. "Hey, guess what? I just saw all those little snow creatures-everyone's calling them snowgies, which I think is kinda cute-and they're hilarious, Elsa! They-" Anna noticed Elsa scowling and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Snowgies?" Elsa asked in disgust.

"Well, you make them when you sneeze…you know…snow boogers? Snowgies?" Anna was suddenly _very_ certain Elsa would be very embarrassed and would not think that was the least bit funny.

Sure enough, Elsa scowled and went an even deeper red than her flushed cheeks had been before. _Really?! That is disgusting! And embarrassing. And…ew. Ew, ew, ew. At least the little snow creatures are cute and harmless enough…I suppose._

"Oh, oh yeah, and you remember Netta? That nice lady with the baby you talked to after your speech back in the summer? Well, she said we should give you feverfew if you had a headache, and I know quite well you do," Anna said now. "I don't know what you're supposed to do with it, though…make tea, eat it plain, sniff it? I have no idea…"

Elsa cracked a tiny smile at that. "You…make tea…with it," she managed to say. _Anna is funny. And Netta was actually concerned enough for me to offer her idea to Anna? That was really nice of her…_

Gerda stood up and pulled Anna out into the hall for a moment. "Miss Anna, I'll go make your sister some feverfew tea. Make sure she keeps a cold cloth on her forehead to help with her fever, please…she's probably going to try to take it off."

Anna nodded instantly. "I'm gonna take care of Elsa as much as possible 'til she's better," she said firmly. Anna fiddled with the beads on the bracelet Elsa had given her for her birthday. _Don't worry, Elsa. You gave me a perfect birthday already. Now I get to help take care of you instead._

Sure enough, the second Anna sat down next to Elsa, she noticed Elsa had taken the wet cloth off her forehead and curled up on her side instead. "Oh, Elsa, what are we going to do with you?" she asked softly.

Elsa's flushed face puckered up in annoyance when she felt that uncomfortable, almost painful coolness on her forehead again. "Don't like it, Anna…" she whispered.

"Gerda said I was supposed to make sure you kept one on your forehead," Anna told her, gently holding the cloth against her sister's too-warm forehead. "It's to help with that icky fever, 'kay? You can stay curled up on your side, though. I'll just hold it in place for you. Do you want anything, sis?"

Elsa just blinked tiredly at her sister. _Why is Anna taking care of me? I'm supposed to be taking care of her. It's Anna's birthday…_ She suddenly scrunched her eyes shut against the light coming in from the window. "Too bright…" _What is wrong with me?_

"You want to cover the window, maybe?" Anna asked.

Elsa tried to nod, but failed. She impulsively reached for her sister's arm and just held on tightly. _I'm scared. I don't know what's wrong with me and I know this combination of symptoms is something specific and I can't remember what it is._ Elsa abruptly rolled onto her back and just said, "I can't _think_! I'm confused, and…and…Anna, I have pyrexia."

Anna frowned in confusion. "What's pyrexia?"

"P, y, r, e, x, i, a," Elsa spelled. "Pyrexia…"

"I'm sorry, Elsa, but I don't understand," Anna said quietly. She noticed her sister's blue eyes had fluttered shut again and just gave Elsa's hand a gentle squeeze. _I'm worried about Elsa. She's not…acting right._

Anna heard a knock on the door and said "Come in," but she just stayed next to Elsa and didn't move. "Oh, hi Mom, hi Dad," she added. "But be quiet, 'cause Elsa's sleeping at the moment."

"Anna, you shouldn't stay so close to your sister. She might make you sick, too," Agdar said quietly.

"Dad, I'm not leaving Elsa. I can't! She's acting really weird when she's awake…I mean, she starts acting like really childish, or she's all upset, and she switches from one to the other, like, instantly. And just before you came in, she abruptly says 'Anna, I have pyrexia' and then when I asked her 'What's pyrexia?', she just spelled it!" Anna frowned worriedly down at her sister.

Idun gently held her hand against Elsa's forehead. "Anna, honey, pyrexia just means 'fever'. It's probably making her act funny, that's all. She's far too warm for her…" _Wait a minute…Elsa feels warm enough that she would be too hot for a normal person. She's in danger!_ She abruptly stood up and said, "Someone go get the doctor immediately! Now!"

* * *

The second Anna took off running from the room, Idun carefully scooped her oldest daughter up and held her trembling body close. "Oh, Elsa… _please_ get better," she whispered. "I can't lose you again…I just can't…" _If we could just get Elsa's fever to break, she would be fine. She can't stay so hot for any length of time; it'll kill her. I don't even know what Elsa's ordinary body temperature usually is, but she's supposed to be significantly cooler than someone sans her special abilities._

"Idun, calm down. Elsa will be fine," Agdar said firmly. "Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"Agdar, just touch her forehead! She's far too warm. Elsa feels like she has a normal person's low fever. That's way too much for her! And she's supposed to be immune to cold, and she's…shaking," Idun said softly. "Look at her."

Agdar hesitantly touched Elsa's forehead and instantly pulled away. It was hard to believe this girl was the same one with the unnervingly strong ice powers. "She's ill and most likely contagious," he said flatly, and abruptly turned and strode out of the room. _Elsa needs help. And fast._

 **A/N: So...yeah. Elsa's sick. I always figured Elsa's natural body temperature is lower because of her powers...so when Anna says Elsa's burning up in Frozen Fever, Elsa must have a _really_ high fever, at least for her. That's why Elsa is so sick. That and I don't think her immune system would be very strong after all that time isolated from people.:/**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	27. Fever Dreams

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **raven678-Thank you!:) I hadn't really noticed that before, but I think I agree...:P**

 **WarriorQueen 14-Lol, I was afraid of that, but I wanted to include _some_ of the lyrics from 'Making Today a Perfect Day'.:P Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, but that does make sense. (Also makes a good reason for why Elsa didn't want that medicine from Oaken XD) Anyways...in this version, Elsa hasn't had any homemade medicine full of alcohol. She's just really sick. I'm curious now as to what your theory is regarding Elsa's natural body temperature and how it's different from mine.:)**

 **QueenIcelandia-Wait and see.:) No big deal about not logging in.:)**

 **Mandy-Thank you! Well, I have quite a few friends online, so that's not weird. Why would internet friends be weird?:) You weren't being rude at all! You wanted a new chapter, lol. Which is a compliment.;) All I promise is a happy ending...so...yeah. No spoilers, but there'll DEFINITELY be a happy ending.:) The real Frozen Fever is so cute, though! I just wish it was longer.:P Elsa isn't completely coherent all the time because she's all feverish, but yes, she got fixated on her signature snowflake...she _knows_ that's hers and that she's supposed to be immune to cold.:) I'm glad you liked it!**

 **nhi ly-Thank you!:)**

 **Awesomewolf-That's totally fine; I've been really busy too.:) I think Elsa tends to push herself too hard, period.:/ She never gives herself a chance to rest.:P I'm glad you liked the chapter!:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-I just wanted Daisy to make a reappearance at least once.:P And yes, she managed to help Elsa instead of the other way around.:) Anna is pretty impulsive, so she jumps to conclusions...and by the same token, she gets un-mad easily, too.:P Yes, I've tried to have some continuity...thanks for commenting on that and noticing it, lol!:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol, you're welcome. XD It's just a headcanon of mine.:) I just thought it didn't really matter whether Elsa has ice powers or not, she's still a human girl...if she didn't have contact with people for thirteen years, her immune system isn't going to work like it should. She's had little to no exposure to germs at all.:/ So if Elsa gets sick, her body doesn't really know how to help her get better. I don't think Elsa's powers would help her recover...they're ice powers, not healing powers like Rapunzel's.**

 **On to the story!:)**

Anna insisted on sleeping on the floor next to Elsa's bed that night. She couldn't get the doctor's words from the evening before out of her head. _'There's nothing we can do. Just try to keep her comfortable and give her plenty of liquids. Queen Elsa's fever needs to break…soon, or she's in mortal danger.'_ Anna sat up and climbed to her feet when she heard Elsa stirring. "Elsa? D'you feel any better?" she whispered.

"No! Please…let me go… _please_ let me go! I didn't mean to…" Stuck in a fever-induced nightmare, Elsa found herself a little eight-year-old girl again; but rather than her real memory from the past when she had had to move to her own room after the accident, this time she was in the dungeon. And little Elsa wasn't strong enough to get out. " _I want Anna back!_ " Elsa wailed. "I won't hurt her…promise…please? Please…stop, it hurts…"

Anna had heard quite enough by now; she quickly lit the lamp on her sister's nightstand, but moved it to the desk so the light wouldn't bother Elsa. Then she tiptoed back over to Elsa and just held her hands tightly. "Elsa, it's not real. Not real. It's a dream. Please wake up! Please." _What is Elsa thinking about?_

Tears streaked Elsa's face as her pained blue eyes fluttered open. "A-Anna? _Anna…_ please don't let them take me…please…please don't hurt me…I…I'm…I want Anna back! I want Anna…" _Anna? Why's Anna all grown up? Am I imagining her? I want my baby sister!_ "Why aren't you five?"

Anna didn't understand what her sister was talking about, but she helped Elsa sit up and just held her close. "You're gonna be fine, Elsa," she said softly. "Whatever it is isn't real. You're safe at home."

"Please make them let me go! Please…I didn't mean to…please don't hurt me…" Elsa's confused mind knew she was safe in her room with Anna, but she was still convinced that nightmare was what was really happening. It felt so real to her, and she wanted her baby sister, the five-year-old one.

" _Nobody's_ going to hurt you, Elsa. I won't let them," Anna said firmly. _What's happening to my sweet big sister? Why is she so upset?! I don't understand!_ Anna looked down at the trembling girl in her arms and felt her heart break in two. _Something's hurting her terribly. In her head. Something that's not even real._ Elsa's gaze looked utterly confused, terrified, and hurt. "Elsa, please snap out of it. Remember my birthday when you gave me all those nice presents? Remember the first time you walked across your room after Kiara shocked you? Or that silly wolf pup, Drífa? You're _safe,_ Elsa. You're safe at home."

Elsa abruptly tried to stand up and immediately fell to the floor, partly because she felt dizzy, but mostly because of her weak left leg. "Anna, what's wrong with my leg? It doesn't work right," she complained, staring at it with a childish pout. "If I'm safe with Anna, I want to play with her!"

Anna quickly scooped Elsa up and put her back on the bed. _Well, at least she's not all crying and terrified anymore. I'd rather her be acting childish, although it worries me she can't remember what happened to her leg._ "You got hurt and you have to wear a brace to walk now," she said quietly, sticking with the simplest explanation she could think of.

"Why aren't I wearing it then?" Elsa's expression looked more curious than accusing or upset. She still felt very confused, and besides, her body still hurt all over, although even Elsa's muddled brain knew that that was simply because she was sick. Suddenly she felt her mind clear, and she blinked at Anna a few times, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. _I had a nightmare. It must have been from my fever...what sort of nonsense did I babble about…?_ She smiled at Anna and just gave her a hug before curling back up under the covers. "Thank you for taking care of me…g'night, Anna…"

 _At least Elsa seems to be more clear-headed now,_ Anna thought. "Elsa…what were you thinking…dreaming about?" she asked hesitantly, not entirely sure it was all right to ask her sister that.

Elsa's flushed face twisted in pain, but she decided to tell Anna the truth. _Anna will understand. She won't think bad of me…I know she won't._ "Distorted accident from…when we were little," she whispered. "I…I felt eight years old…all over again…but this time I was put in the…in the dungeon instead of my own room. I couldn't get out, Anna! It just…just felt so _real_ …" Elsa felt snowflakes gently falling on her face, but the cold made her flinch and the snowflakes melted instantly when they touched her too-warm skin, unlike her usual self.

"Why did you keep saying 'please don't hurt me'?" Anna asked sharply, her angry scowl not matching the way she gently scooped Elsa up again and held her close. _Maybe Elsa wouldn't get dream nightmare hallucination things like that if Mom and Dad hadn't hurt her when she was little._ "What happened?"

Elsa sneezed before whispering, "In here." She held her hands over her heart as she tried her hardest to keep from crying. Elsa looked her sister straight in the eyes and added, "Anna…that part wasn't imaginary. Sometimes…sometimes I'm still scared everything good in my life will…will b-be taken away from me all over again. I…I don't think I could take it again." _You couldn't take it the first time. You're a coward, Elsa._ Elsa closed her eyes as tears trickled down her cheeks. She couldn't hold them in any longer. A tiny part of her still felt like that little girl trapped in the dungeon in her nightmare, even though she knew full well deep inside that was _not_ real. _'Catch me!' 'Wait! Slow down!'_ "I think my heart hurts," she said weakly. _Elsa, it wasn't real. It wasn't real. Anna is right here and she's holding you._

Anna cradled Elsa securely in her arms and hugged her close, tears dripping down her own cheeks. _Elsa's hurting and I think it's got more to do with her being so sick rather than actually being afraid of that. She's usually not nearly as clingy as she was right after the Great Thaw. Elsa isn't scared I'll abandon her. I know she isn't. She may be slightly afraid something else would take me away from her, though._ "Elsa, nothing is going to take you away from me or vice versa. It's all right to hurt inside sometimes, but there is no reason to simply because of that. You're safe. You are not going to be put in the dungeon or anywhere else icky," Anna assured her. "You are going to be completely safe and cared for and you're gonna get better. That's what's real."

Elsa seemed to suddenly regain a bit of strength and lucidity. "Anna, I heard what the doctor said yesterday evening. I may have been a little…out of it, but I could hear just fine. My fever is far too high for me. If it doesn't break, I will die. Don't get your heart set on me getting better," she said quietly. "You know we have no way to help me medicinally." _I don't want to leave Anna…I_ can't _. I left her for thirteen years; I can't do that again…_

" _No_ , Elsa. No. You are _not_ gonna die! I'm going to take care of you and you're going to get better," Anna said firmly. "Maybe we could get Rapunzel and -"

Elsa gave her sister a tiny lopsided smile. "Anna, that's impossible and you know it. Kiara chose to get rid of her powers. Pabbie specifically said that was irreversible. There is no way to bring Rapunzel here," she whispered. "Just accept it and move on. Let it go." _If I do die, Anna will be fine without me. I'm the one that needed her, not the other way around. She'll be okay._

Anna scowled as she carefully tucked Elsa back under the covers. "I shan't either just 'let it go'! You're my _sister_. I'm gonna go have a talk with Kiara! There has to be some way to get Kiara's powers back. Then she can get Rapunzel and you'll be all better." She gently brushed a stray wisp of platinum hair out of her sister's flushed face and tiptoed away. "You _are_ going to be all right. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

The second Anna had left, Elsa frowned; then weakly pushed herself to a sitting position and immediately clapped one hand to her forehead at the increased ache and sudden dizziness. _What am I doing? I can't walk down the hall… Yes I can. I can too. I want Mama with me if Anna's not in here._ She spotted her brace on the floor and found herself struggling to even pick it up. Elsa's hands shook as she tried to fasten it on her weak leg. "I c'n do this," she told herself under her breath. " _Achoo!_ " Elsa narrowed her eyes at the little snow creatures now happily scampering out of her room. She didn't dislike the snowgies, really…they were just _embarrassing_.

Elsa slowly and shakily stood up, clinging to the bedpost for support. She bit her lip as she tried to start walking over to her door. The room spun, and she was finding it difficult to move her braced leg; her body just felt too weak to drag that cumbersome brace along since it felt much heavier to her than her ice. Elsa's blue eyes filled with tears when she just fell to the floor in the middle of her room. "I wanted my mommy!" she cried. "Please? I tried to be good, Mama…I really did. I'm just n-not good enough. I'm s-sorry…" Elsa lay helplessly on the floor, her slender body trembling all over. She just wanted someone to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. The scared little girl was back, somehow stuck in her mind again. _I want Mama._

 _Nobody cares, you pathetic little girl. You hurt Anna._ "It was an accident!"

 _You could have killed her. You almost did. You don't deserve anyone to love or care about you. No one wants to hold you or give you a hug. Why would they? You're just a defective little freak._ "No, I'm not! I'm not; I'm not! Why can't you leave me alone? Leave me be! Please! I can't…I can't take it anymore!"

 _You_ are _alone. That's all you'll ever be. Terrified and alone…alone…alone…_ Elsa finally just buried her face in her hands and wailed, tired of trying to get away from whatever was tormenting her. Ice crackled beneath her and snaked all over the floor, despite her fever and the fact the ice instantly began melting where she lay on the floor.

* * *

DOWN THE HALL…

"Agdar, something's wrong," Idun whispered. "Elsa's crying. I can hear her." _She's supposed to be in bed sleeping…!_

"Even if she _was_ crying, how could you possibly hear her from here?" Agdar asked, still half-asleep. "She's in her room. At least she better be. That girl better not have tried to get up or something else foolish." He sat up straight when he clearly heard the same distressed sounds his wife had heard.

"See, you hear it too. I'm at least going to go check on her," Idun said as she determinedly went straight to their door.

"She's probably delirious," Agdar replied in a flat voice, but he quickly got up too. _How are any of us supposed to help her? We have nothing to help her recover. Nothing._

Idun hesitated before saying, "Agdar, you should probably stay here. If Elsa is so upset that she's making those awful sounds, you're going to scare her," she said quietly.

"Fine. You fix our daughter yourself then." Agdar abruptly turned and went over to the window. _I do not want to see Elsa in that condition anyway,_ he told himself, trying to convince himself that he didn't mind Elsa being scared of him. _She'll be fine. Elsa's a strong girl. She will be fine._

* * *

Idun was horrified at what she found in Elsa's room. Ice was all over the room, but this wasn't the delicate and pretty but strong as steel ice she had begun to grow accustomed to seeing Elsa make when she was in control. Nor was it the ugly and spiky ice Elsa used to make when she lost control. It was obvious Elsa hadn't done this on purpose, but the very ice looked confused and anguished somehow. A pinkish-red tinge filled the room, but around Elsa, the ice was purple. Elsa lay trembling in the middle of the floor with her hands covering her face. _Why isn't she in bed?_ She realized Elsa was wearing her brace and instantly knew what had happened. _Elsa was trying to walk somewhere by herself, and then something started bothering her inside…but I don't know what._ Idun knelt next to Elsa despite the ice and held her crying daughter close. "You're going to be fine, sweetie," she whispered. _At least inside. I won't have Elsa hurting inside again. I can't heal her physically, but she will_ not _stay hurting inside. I won't let her._

Elsa felt gentle hands holding her and then moving her hands away from her face. _I'm imagining this…aren't I? I have to be. Mama doesn't want to hold me…does she?_ "Are…are you real?" she asked hesitantly. Elsa's feverish thoughts were all scrambled and everything seemed to confuse her. But it felt like her mother was really, truly here in her room holding her. Elsa felt even more confused when this person that looked exactly like her mother gently stroked her hair. Maybe this _was_ real. Nobody but her sister and her mother ever did that for her. Elsa decided to trust her hopeful instincts that this really was her mommy and that she had come to hold and comfort her. _What if it's not, Elsa?_ "Please…please d-don't hurt me," she heard her own weak voice say.

Idun frowned, but she just held Elsa close, making sure to support her head as if she were a baby. "I will never hurt you again," Idun said firmly. "Elsa, I know your mind feels all confused and in a muddle right now, but you are perfectly safe. Whatever is or has been hurting you isn't real. It's in your head." Elsa's big blue eyes were filled with pain and confusion, but Idun saw a flicker of hope in them now. _She's trying so hard. Elsa, you're safe. You're safe. You will not be hurt again._

Elsa finally relaxed in her mother's arms as relieved tears trickled down her cheeks. _Elsa, it's over. Whatever things your mind just told you that scared you are gone. Aren't they?_ Although Elsa felt more aware of what was real and what wasn't now, she still asked, "Mama…do you…do you think I'm a defective little freak?"

"Elsa, what were you thinking about and what were you doing out of bed?" Idun asked quietly. "You are not a defective little freak. You are different, but you are _not_ a defective little freak."

"I just wanted…you, and I fell when I tried to walk down the hall. I didn't get very far. Something just made me all upset and told me a lot of nasty things in my head." Elsa shuddered and tried to hide her face in her hands again, but Idun gently kept her from doing so. "Said I didn't d-deserve anyone t-to love or care about m-me and that n-no one wanted to hold me or give m-me a hug and why would they and that I'm a d-defective little freak," she stuttered out. _Quit stuttering, Elsa. You haven't done that in ages._

Idun felt her own eyes well up with tears at hearing Elsa stutter like that, knowing the poor girl had probably worked hard to stop doing that and that she had to be extremely upset if she was talking that way now. "Not one of those horrid things is true, Elsa. Not one. You are just my sweet daughter who happens to have some very special abilities. The past was _not_ your fault. You never deserved any of that," she said gently. "Let's put you back in bed. Is that all right?"

Elsa smiled and snuggled closer to her mother, finally feeling completely calm and safe again, if still slightly confused. "Thank you, Mama," she said, her eyes drifting shut. Then, "Does Papa think I'm a defective little freak?" _Why did I ask that? I know what he thinks of me. He doesn't hate me and he does care about me, but I_ am _defective to him. I know I am._

Idun pursed her lips and sighed. _All these things that are hurting Elsa and making her cry and whatever else are from her illness, but they're based in things that probably bothered her when she was little…_ "No, sweetie. Your father may not like or approve of your special abilities, but he does not think you're a defective little freak."

Elsa's eyes fluttered open again. "I think he thinks I'm defective physically," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't think he dislikes the girl I am otherwise. He would like me better if I looked different and didn't have ice powers and didn't have to wear a brace on my leg."

"Elsa…" Idun wasn't sure what to say; Elsa hadn't been in the room when Agdar had praised Elsa's political smarts and said that she was defective physically, not her personality. _I can't lie to her. How on earth does Elsa even know that?_

"It's okay, Mama; I know it's true," Elsa said calmly, giving her mother a lopsided smile. " _Achoo!_ " Several more little snow creatures scampered away.

Idun jumped in surprise; she already knew those little things were from Elsa's sneezing, but she hadn't actually seen it happen. _What on earth are we going to do with those little things?! Elsa has already probably made hundreds of them. We can't leave them in the empty ballroom forever…_ She decided to worry about that later and just put Elsa back to bed.

* * *

Elsa didn't make a fuss as her mother picked her up and laid her back on the bed. She felt a wave of weakness wash over her; probably from the energy she had exerted trying to get up. "Th…thank you…for coming, Mama," she said almost inaudibly.

"It's perfectly all right, Elsa. You needed help. And you should not have tried to get up like that, either," Idun half-scolded. She was tempted to take Elsa's brace away from her and put it out of reach somewhere so she physically had no way to get up unless someone helped her, but decided that was just mean and that she would ask Elsa first before taking it off. "Do you want it on or off, sweetie?"

Elsa made a face, but she just said, "Off," and didn't say anything else. _I feel like a pile of mush. I probably can't even sit up without help right now. I wish I wasn't sick…well, duh Elsa, who wants to be sick?!_

Idun quickly unfastened Elsa's brace and just put it on the floor where Elsa usually left it when she went to sleep. "It's right on the floor, but please do _not_ get up like that again while you're sick," she said firmly. Idun gently tucked Elsa back under the covers before turning out the lamp. _I will stay in here with her. I don't want Elsa to be alone if she gets all confused like that again._

Elsa flinched when she felt a gentle hand lay a cold cloth back across her forehead, but she was smiling now. _That's uncomfortable, but Mama's taking care of me._ She remembered the ice all over the room she had made when she was all upset, and clumsily lifted one hand and managed to dissolve it, although the action made her whole arm hurt. _You can sleep now…it's not too cold in here for Mama anymore._ Elsa winced as she pulled her sore arm back under the covers, but she still looked perfectly content now, if rather uncomfortable. "Better for Mama now," she whispered.

"You didn't have to do that, sweetie," Idun reassured her. "I will stay in here with you…just try to go to sleep." _I'm going to take the best care of Elsa I can. She's my sweet little girl, even if she is twenty-one._

"Mama, do you think I'm going to die?" Elsa asked, her voice painfully innocent and childlike.

Idun was very glad the room was dark and Elsa couldn't see the tears running down her cheeks. _Elsa is the last person in the world that should be asking a question like that. Why?! Why Elsa? Hasn't she suffered enough already?_ She gave Elsa's hand a gentle squeeze, determined not to lie to her. Elsa would immediately detect any sort of lie anyway. "Elsa, I…I don't know," Idun whispered, her voice cracking.

If the light had been on, Idun would have been surprised to see a lopsided smile gracing Elsa's face. "At least I got to have Anna back for almost six months," she said softly. "I have my parents back, too…and I'd rather die this way than like I almost did three years ago…I'm happy, not depressed and suicidal…"

"Elsa, please, _please_ don't just give up," Idun begged. "You have to try to get better. Your family needs you. Arendelle needs you. _Anna_ needs you!"

"No, Mama, I just needed her," Elsa replied quietly. "Anna doesn't need me. Why would she ever _need_ an emotionally damaged girl around? I sincerely believe Anna loves and cares about me just the way I am, I know she does; but she doesn't _need_ me. Arendelle has you and Dad and Anna. My country doesn't _need_ me either. Mama, I'm not giving up…I'm just being realistic." _Elsa, who would have saved Arendelle from that hurricane back in the summer? You used your powers to do that. No one else could have done what you did. What if someone invaded Arendelle? Your powers are Arendelle's most valuable defense…_

Idun realized that Elsa had subconsciously not said a thing regarding the rest of her family needing her. Not one word. "What if I told you _I_ needed you?" she asked hesitantly.

Tears leaked from Elsa's closed eyes, wetting her pillow. "N-not…true…my mommy never, _never_ needed me. If she needed me, she…she wouldn't have l-left me locked in my r-room," Elsa stammered. She didn't sound a bit angry or resentful or accusatory; she just sounded like a little girl still hurting inside. "I…I know you love me now, Mama-you wouldn't stay in here and t-take care of me otherwise-but you don't need me."

 _I wish I could turn back time and not treat poor Elsa like that. No wonder she genuinely believes no one needs her. No one ever treated her like she was really, truly needed for all that time when she was little._ "I need you _now_ , sweetie. To make up for all those horrible years when your own parents didn't treat you right," Idun said firmly. She felt Elsa give her hand a weak squeeze and just tucked Elsa's hand back under the covers. "You're going to be all right, Elsa," she whispered. _She's going to be ok. She has to._

* * *

Elsa didn't feel any better in the morning; if anything, she felt worse; but she was in a good mood anyway. _My mother sat with me all night long. She didn't have to do that._ She lay in bed under the covers just staring up at the ceiling. _I wonder where Anna went…_

"Do you feel any different this morning, sweetie?" Idun asked. "Gerda brought you some soup for breakfast." _Elsa, please don't ask for Anna; please don't ask for Anna…_

Elsa wrinkled her nose. She did not like soup one bit, sick or not. "Thank you, but I don't want it," she said faintly. And then, "Where's Anna?"

Idun sighed, knowing that question was coming sooner or later. "Elsa, she isn't here. She and Kiara left a note last night saying they would be back soon, not to worry, and 'take super good care of Elsa'. And you have to eat your soup, Elsa Grieg. If you don't want it, too bad." She helped Elsa sit up against the pillows so she could eat; then picked up the soup bowl.

 _But it's snowing outside! I can sense it…_ Elsa suddenly realized exactly what her mother wanted to do and promptly made a face. "I can feed myself," she insisted when her mother gently pushed her hands down and held out a spoonful of soup.

"You are shaking all over, so no, you cannot. You'll spill. Elsa, you need help, and that's all right. It's fine to need help sometimes," Idun told her.

Elsa didn't protest further, but she just stared out the window hoping Anna and Kiara were safe. She blinked several times against the light and slumped against her pillows. _Anna, why did you leave? What for? Wait…I think I know. She and Kiara went to the trolls to try and get Kiara's powers back so we could go get Rapunzel. That's exactly what they're doing._

* * *

AN HOUR LATER IN THE VALLEY OF THE LIVING ROCK…

"Princess Anna, I cannot return Kiara's powers," Pabbie told Anna and Kiara. "It is an irreversible process. I can, however, give you…wait here, please." The old troll waddled off, leaving two very disappointed and upset girls behind.

"Elsa's going to die, and it's all my fault," Kiara muttered. "She's my _friend_. Why is she so sick anyway?"

"I don't know; why are you so annoying?" Anna retorted. "Sorry, Kiara. I think she's so sick partly because she overworked herself way too much, and partly 'cause she probably hasn't got much resistance to germs. I mean…" Anna trailed off, her eyes filling with tears as she realized what she was about to say meant. _Elsa spent so long isolated from anyone that her immune system probably isn't used to trying to fight off any sickness things…_

Grand Pabbie came back, looking rather perturbed and out of sorts for his always-calm demeanor. "Princess Anna, you girls must leave this area immediately. There may be danger that I cannot protect you from."

Anna scowled. "Where's whatever you were going to get? What about helping my sister? Grand Pabbie, Elsa's _ill_. She might be dying! _Help my big sister!_ Please?"

"Right now she is safer than you two are. Go home. There is nothing I can do. What I was going to offer the two of you is missing."

"What's missing?" Kiara asked curiously.

"All of the power crystals are missing, Princess Kiara," Pabbie said, looking her straight in the eyes. "They permit whoever is holding or wearing them to wield a specific power, although they are much, much weaker than a power like yours was, _especially_ one like Queen Elsa's. She is the most powerful mage I have ever seen. Still, in the wrong hands, they are very dangerous."

"I didn't know there was such a thing," Anna said.

"They are a secret only the trolls are supposed to know about," Pabbie told her. "Please return home at once."

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	28. Elsa's Letter

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **princessdianaofparadiseisland-Wait and see what happens, sis.:) Don't forget, I promised a happy ending.:)**

 **raven678-Thank you!:) Yeah, Idun is actually taking care of Elsa now...I think it's about time.:P**

 **jr74-As this is not a spoiler, I will say that neither one of them took the power crystals.:) From the info I found online, ice baths aren't good for breaking a fever because it can make you shiver all the more which actually _raises_ the core body temperature. I think the ice bath just drops the surface body temperature from what I understand. However...I'd already written a scene involving that idea, so...read on.:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-Yep, that's exactly why Kiara didn't get her powers back. That was her decision and now she has to deal with it. (Besides, we'd have no more story, AND it's illogical, like you pointed out.:P)**

 **Mandy-Exactly. And it seems kinda cliché to me. Magical powers don't have the solution to _everything..._ there have to be limits.:P Yes, I promised a happy ending.:) I feel kinda bad for making Elsa go through all this, but...I don't know. Somehow I think it's nice to make your favorite character go through a bunch of awful things and make sure she's still there to tell the story afterwards.:) Does that sound stupid? I don't know... I can promise Elsa will never ever try attempting suicide again, even if she's upset and negative thoughts get in her head. She promised Anna she wouldn't.:) I love making online friends.:) I'm so glad you like my stories!:) Hmm...stupid question...who's your favorite Frozen character and why?:)**

 **On to the story!:) [Warning for plenty of angst ahead...but just remember there IS a happy ending!:)]**

THE NEXT MORNING IN ARENDELLE CASTLE…

"Mom, can't the doctor do _anything_ to help Elsa?" Anna whispered so she wouldn't wake Elsa up.

"Honey, he can't. I asked him to come check on her shortly before you and Kiara came back because I noticed a weird rash on one of her arms," Idun said softly as she showed Anna the blotchy marks on Elsa's arm. "Anna…I think…I think she's dying. The doctor said Elsa's body just isn't strong enough to fight whatever illness she has…he thinks she has meningitis, and he said she has a weakened immune system. That rash is blood poisoning. I…I feel like this is the payback for abusing that poor girl for all those years. I'm just starting to get to know Elsa for who she really is, and…and now I'm losing her. I…" Idun suddenly stopped talking when she saw Anna's angry expression.

 _All that horrid technical stuff just means Elsa's dying because of what Mom and Dad did to her for all those years. Maybe she wouldn't have a weakened immune system in the first place if she hadn't been kept isolated in her room…_ Anna was seething as she slowly and gently scooped Elsa up, blankets and all; and went to sit in the comfy chair in the corner. Then she just hugged Elsa tightly and cried. _Elsa, please don't die. Please. I love you so much. I can't lose you again. And…and you never, ever did anything wrong. You just endured in silence for all that time…and you were just a little girl. You were EIGHT!_ She felt Elsa stirring weakly in her arms and looked down at her sister's drawn face. _And Elsa actually looks happy, even though I know she's hurting…on the outside. That's why she's still happy enough._

Elsa blinked a few times, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. She had been stuck in a vivid and realistic dream, but this one was a happy one. She had still hit Anna when they were little, but she'd just hit her in the arm and so five-year-old Anna just needed her arm bandaged, not her memories changed. Then Elsa's own younger self had simply been extra, extra careful playing with Anna, and they did not jump from dangerously high snow piles anymore. They were just two happy but very careful little girls. "Anna…why is big Anna crying?" she asked. "Sisters…invincible together…"

"Yeah, _together_ ," Anna whispered under her breath, not realizing that Elsa was plenty clearheaded enough at the moment to both hear and understand her.

Elsa winced as she moved one hand over her own heart and the other over Anna's. "There. Together there," she said softly. "Elsa dies…she's still with Anna in her heart." Elsa blinked again, jerking completely back to reality. "Anna, you don't need me. When I die, you won't have to take care of an emotionally damaged girl anymore," she quipped, giving Anna a lopsided smile. "Really…it will be all right. You'll be perfectly fine." _I need to write Anna a letter…_

 _Why is Elsa telling_ me _everything will be all right?! And I do need her. I need her so much. I lost my big sister once already; I can't lose her again._ Anna cradled Elsa close, trying her best not to cry so she wouldn't make Elsa upset. "Elsa, I don't care what emotional issues you might still have, you're my _sister_ and I love you. I don't mind taking care of you. Please try to hang on, sis. That nasty fever can't last forever. You just have to outlast it, that's all."

Elsa's blue eyes had drifted shut again, but she clung to Anna, and a tiny smile was on her face. _I'm okay. I have my baby sister back and I can control my powers. That was all I ever wanted in my life._

* * *

Anna was still mad at her mother, but an idea popped into her head. "Mom…what if we put Elsa in a bath full of ice-cold water?" she asked softly. "Would that break her fever? Or at least make it drop to a non-dangerous level for her?"

"It's worth a try," Idun replied quickly. "That should definitely help." _Maybe, just maybe…_ "Anna, just hold her for now. Get those blankets off her, too. I'll fix the bath water up."

 _I hope this works,_ Anna thought, feeling much happier than she had since her sister had fallen sick. She took the blankets off and carefully sat back down, still holding Elsa in her arms.

Elsa's slender body still felt far too hot for her, and she was still shaking slightly. That light chemise she was wearing did little to nothing to attempt to keep her warm, and Anna was a bit afraid that sticking Elsa in that ice bath was going to, at the very least, make Elsa upset, not to mention potentially hurt her. _But if it'll make Elsa get better…then I guess it's okay. I think._

"You can bring Elsa in here now, Anna," Idun called from the bathroom.

"Bring me where?" Elsa asked sleepily.

"A bath, sis," Anna said carefully.

"Don't want a bath," Elsa mumbled. "You may _not_ see me with nothing on. So there."

Anna shook her head. "You can keep your chemise on, you stinker. Mom and I are hoping it'll bring your fever down," she explained.

"Oh." Elsa shifted a bit in her sister's arms and promptly fell back asleep, satisfied that whatever was going on was not going to harm her.

"We need to wake Elsa up. We don't want her waking up scared that something is hurting her. Ice-cold water is not going to feel pleasant to her right now, powers or no," Idun said quietly. She gently took Elsa from Anna's arms and shook her just a bit. "Elsa? Elsa, sweetie, we're going to try something that probably isn't going to feel very nice; but I promise we're just trying to help you. Please don't get scared. You're safe."

Elsa's big blue eyes flickered open and gazed at her mother in confusion. _I've heard 'we're just trying to help you' before…what's going on? And I feel awful…_

When Elsa didn't reply and just stared warily at her mother, Idun sighed as she carefully and slowly lowered Elsa into the ice water.

After a split second of shocked silence, Elsa registered the awful, awful feeling all over her. She wanted _out_. Now. It hurt and burned all over and was just plain horrible. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. "Anna, help…please help," she whispered. _It hurts! Why did Mama put me in here? I want out! She knows ice and cold things hurt me right now…why?!_ "I want out!" she exclaimed, pained tears trickling down her cheeks. Elsa finally realized exactly what was going on-she was in the bathtub, but it was ice-cold water and it was torturing her. Why was Anna just standing next to her, looking sorry and guilty but not helping her? She wanted to go back to bed. "Anna… _why_? C'n…can't I go back t-to bed? It hurts!" _We're just trying to help you…'Elsa, we're just trying to help you. Keep your gloves on at all times and maybe you won't make such a mess in your room.'_ Elsa felt like her little self shortly after the accident when she hadn't gotten used to being unable to touch things with her bare fingers. She remembered her parents insisting that she wear gloves constantly, saying that would keep her from losing control. And for eight-year-old Elsa, they did. And they also took most of her sense of touch away.

 _Why did Anna let me be put in here? I want out!_ Before Anna could reply, Elsa scrunched her eyes shut against the pain from her own ice forcing its way out of her. Elsa was so afraid she would end up trapping herself in ice in the tub that she weakly scrambled out of that horrible water on her own and immediately slipped and fell. Not only was the floor slippery, Elsa's body wasn't nearly strong enough to support her. Anna managed to block the edge of the tub to keep Elsa from hitting her head, but neither she nor Idun moved fast enough to actually catch Elsa.

Elsa yelped in pain as she felt herself land on her wrist awkwardly. _That's the same arm I broke a few months ago…_ She scrunched her eyes shut and held her wrist protectively against her chest when she sensed someone bending over her. _Please don't hurt me. I don't know what's going on, but please don't hurt me. Please don't put me in that cold water again…_

Anna grabbed a thick, fluffy towel and quickly dried Elsa off. "She's just shaking and shivering even worse than before, Mom," she whispered. "Elsa's trembling all over really really bad…not only did that scare her, it hurt her and it didn't help her at all…" She scooped Elsa up and frowned when she felt Elsa flinching and trying to get away. _What have I done?! Elsa doesn't have the strength to afford to be getting worse like this. She's so…fragile. Literally. I can't let her be hurt anymore._ "Elsa, it's ok. It's all right. We're not putting you back in the water. We thought it was gonna get your temperature down, but I think it just hurt you instead," she told her sister. _It's not all right…_

 _Not like those awful gloves?_ Elsa thought hopefully to herself. _No, Anna wouldn't do that to me. I know she wouldn't._ Elsa looked weakly up at her little sister. "Will you fix my wrist? I think I got a booboo," she announced, using her childhood word for something that physically hurt her.

"Of course we'll fix it, you little stinker," Anna assured her. "Come on, I'll put you back to bed and then we can take care of your wrist. You must have fallen on it." _Poor Elsa…she's not even that concerned about her wrist; she just wants someone to take care of her. I can tell._

"Okay." Elsa snuggled contentedly against Anna and let herself drift off to sleep once again.

* * *

Elsa jerked awake when she felt something hurting her wrist. "Anna…Anna?" she asked.

"Right here, sis. We're just getting your wrist taken care of, that's all. You sprained it when you fell," Anna explained. "It'll be all better in a week or two."

"What's he going to do to me?" Elsa asked, watching the doctor suspiciously. "Please don't hurt me…"

The doctor looked his patient straight in the eyes. "Queen Elsa, it might hurt some, but I promise I am not harming you in any way," he said firmly, knowing Elsa probably felt both vulnerable and very confused. "I am just going to bandage that wrist tightly so it has support until it can heal. All right?"

Elsa frowned, but just said, "Okay," and didn't make a fuss as the doctor picked up her wrist as gently as possible. Elsa's blue eyes fluttered shut when she felt Anna give her other hand a comforting squeeze. Anna would take care of her, so it didn't matter if her wrist was sore. _Thank you, Anna._

"She'll be fine as far as her wrist goes," the doctor said a few minutes later. "That is nothing but a simple sprain. However…I honestly doubt she will recover from this illness," he said quietly. "Queen Elsa has no immune system to help her recover; her body is very weak right now. All those years she spent with no human contact ruined her natural ability to withstand at least some germs like you or me can. Princess Anna, you spent those years around few people, but it was still enough to let you grow properly…it just didn't work that way for your sister. There is nothing any of us can do for her besides keeping her as comfortable as possible. Do not give her any more ice baths."

"Of course not," Anna promised. She gave Elsa a sad smile, feeling slightly happier since at least Elsa didn't look so upset anymore. Elsa just lay fast asleep with her injured wrist held close against her chest. _Elsa's actually smiling now. At least she's not all scared and hurt anymore._ "I'll just love and take care of her." _I love you, Elsa. Maybe the doctor's wrong. I want you to get better…_

* * *

Determined not to lose hope for Elsa, afraid that doing so would somehow seal her fate; Anna asked her parents, Gerda, Kai, and Kiara to help decorate the castle for Christmas that evening. They could celebrate when Elsa got better. Gerda opted out of that and sent Anna to do that while she herself sat with Elsa.

"Gerda, I'd like some paper and a pen, please," Elsa announced the second Anna was gone. "I need to write some things."

Gerda frowned but did as Elsa asked, and even brought her the small wooden lap desk from the library. "If you start nodding off, I will take that away," she warned.

"I'm the queen 'til I'm dead," was Elsa's only response, and she determinedly began writing. _For Anna._ Elsa yawned several times, and her arm and hand grew tired and achy and pained her almost with the first word; but she kept going, despite the bandage wrapped around her hand and wrist, which was making it both painful and awkwardly difficult to write. Elsa spent a long time on her letter; these would be her last words to her precious baby sister who had always loved and cared for her despite anything and everything. _I can finish this. It's for Anna. I have to. It's the least I can do for her._

"Miss Elsa, I think that's quite enough," Gerda said gently awhile later. "I'm practically watching you grow weaker and weaker as I sit here. Go to sleep for a while. Not to mention you're going to hurt your wrist."

Elsa's blue eyes shone with unshed tears as she pressed the letter into Gerda's hand. "Don't let her…read it…'til after I'm…gone," she whispered. "Please?" _You aren't going to make it to Christmas, Elsa. You know it inside. Wait…isn't it Christmas already? I don't even know…_

 _I know, but…I don't want to leave. I want to be here with Anna!_ The tears finally overflowed and streamed down Elsa's cheeks. She wasn't even scared of dying, really…she just wanted to stay with her baby sister. Elsa knew Anna could easily remember her if she wanted to, but what would happen if Elsa wanted to think about Anna herself? Would she turn into an angel after she died? Maybe she could be Anna's guardian angel. That would be nice. _People don't turn into angels, you silly girl, and certainly not you. Do they?_ Elsa grabbed Gerda's hand as tightly as she could. "Gerda, I…I don't want to die," she said almost inaudibly. _Elsa, that's a good thing! That means your mind isn't all messed up inside anymore._ A sudden thought struck her, and she asked, "Is…is this my punishment…'cause I tried t-to commit…suicide three years ago?"

"Absolutely not, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. This is _not_ your fault," Gerda replied firmly as she picked Elsa up and just held her without saying anything else, knowing there was nothing else she could really say to Elsa to make her feel better. Gerda had known Elsa since she was a tiny baby, and she would stay with her now that she was so sick, too.

Elsa hid her face in Gerda's shoulder and just cried. She cried because she would never get to find out if her father would ever love her like her mother did. She cried because she wouldn't be able to spend any more time with Anna. She cried because she would miss the one adult, Gerda, that had always cared for her, even though she didn't have to. _And Anna is going to be really upset, even though I don't quite understand why…and what if someone tries to invade my country again? My own powers were Arendelle's only weapon of defense…_ Elsa felt gentle hands wrapping a heavy blanket around her and then herself being picked up.

"Just lay still, Miss Elsa," Gerda said quietly as she carried the distraught girl over to the window and opened it, letting the cold air in. "Look outside. This country is safe because of you. You've done far more than the call of duty for a girl your age in your position. It's all right. Well, not all right, but you cannot blame yourself for anything. I know your sister will most certainly not be okay if you aren't here anymore, but she will understand. It is _not_ your fault. Everything will be fine here, Miss Elsa. There will be a gaping hole here with no Elsa, but it won't hurt quite so much after a while. You of all people know that."

Elsa kept her throbbing head resting on Gerda's shoulder, but she shifted her gaze outdoors into the winter night. The cold somehow didn't feel so painful all of a sudden; it was just _there_. It calmed her down, and she suddenly felt perfectly content. Maybe she would turn into a wintery 'star and sky angel creature', like Anna had teased her once. Maybe her weak left leg would work properly again without her having to wear a brace. Maybe she wouldn't hurt inside anymore, even a little bit, and the past would truly be in the past. Elsa gave a shuddering sigh as she made an ice snowflake in one hand and held it close. _Everything'll be okay. Anna will be fine. She doesn't need me…I know I'm dying…I don't even know how I know, but…it's true…_ "Th…thank you," she whispered.

Gerda felt Elsa go limp in her arms and immediately thought the worst had happened, but Elsa had just fallen asleep, although her breathing seemed both shallow and too fast. Gerda sighed in relief and tucked Elsa back into bed. _Elsa isn't getting any better, though…she's getting worse. At least she isn't all upset anymore. That's the only good thing._ She looked up when she heard footsteps coming into the room. "I think you may want to bring Anna here," Gerda said quietly to Idun. "Miss Elsa…isn't doing well."

"Would you get her, please? Anna is in the library," Idun said. "I…I'd like to sit with Elsa right now, in case she…in case she…" Idun pressed Elsa's hand to her cheek and just looked at her with watery eyes. _Why Elsa? She's just an innocent young girl. I want my sweet little girl whole and healthy again! Elsa, maybe you_ don't _belong here. Because someone like you shouldn't be somewhere where people hurt you. You're dying because of what your own parents did to you. Maybe you would have been able to get better if your immune system was stronger and you hadn't been kept locked in your room._ "I do love you, Elsa," she whispered. "Not that it will help you now, but…"

Elsa smiled a bit as she registered her mother's voice, but she didn't even try to open her eyes. She felt too weak to move now, but her weary body wasn't hurting so much anymore. She felt…calm. Elsa's own ice flowing through her without her prompting it to do so was quickly draining whatever tiny bit of strength she had left, but she actually felt at home in her own skin again. Gone was that painful and uncomfortable sensation of cold. The usual pleasant coolness running through her was back. _I need to talk to Anna. Now._ "Mama…please…get…Anna," she managed to whisper.

"Gerda is getting her right now, sweetie," Idun said softly.

Anna came running in just then and nearly flung herself on the bed next to her sister. "I ran all the way down the hall, Elsa! You gotta keep fighting, Elsa…please? I want my big sister here with me 'til we're old ladies…Elsa?" _Elsa isn't even answering. And I know she heard me._

Elsa struggled to move her arm, trying her best to hug her baby sister just one more time. Tears dripped down her cheeks when all she managed to do was lift her arm a few inches before it just flopped limply back on the bed. "Virtual…hug," Elsa finally said almost inaudibly. _I just want to give Anna one more hug. Just one…and I can't. And I feel like I can't breathe._ Elsa's labored breath caught in her sore throat and she coughed violently, which left her shuddering all over and unable to move otherwise. _What's happening to me? I just wanted to hug Anna…I can't breathe…_

"It's all right, Elsa. Not your fault one bit," Anna said softly, trying to make sure her poor sister stayed calm. _She just wanted to give me a hug…_ "Elsa, listen. It's all right. I'm not leaving you. You can have a hug, too."

Elsa's eyes remained closed, but she tried again to move her arm, only to be disappointed when she could barely move it at all. "Anna…I…I'm s-sorry…" she whispered. "I…I just… _why_ , Anna? Why?" _All I wanted was to give Anna one last hug. And I can't…I can't!_ "Please…please fix m-me…just l-long en-"

"Elsa, stop trying to talk," Anna interrupted. _I can't let Elsa stay hurting like that. She just wants to give me a hug…she's trying so hard. I can give Elsa that._ She glanced at her mother for help, and then just slid one arm under her sister's shoulders to help her sit up, although she knew Elsa wouldn't be able to hold herself upright at all. Elsa was limp as a rag doll now. Anna supported Elsa's head with her other hand since Elsa just drooped forward without anyone helping her. "I'm going to s-stay…with y-you," Anna stammered, trying to hold back her own tears. _Elsa can't even hold her head up, she's so weak. Elsa, please don't die. I won't even care if you never completely recover-I'll take care of you. You're my sweet big sister…_

Elsa felt her mother gently lifting her limp arm and placing it around Anna's neck. _Mama and Anna are actually…helping me give Anna a hug. That was the only thing I wanted, and…I'm actually being allowed to have it? I'm hugging my baby sister._ "Anna…take care…of Arendelle…for me…it's yours…now. Help Mama and…Dad. Anna…I love…y-" Elsa felt herself beginning to drift towards unconsciousness; and she managed to open her eyes halfway so she could see Anna as she felt herself being settled back under the covers, although Anna still held her hand tightly. "I love you, Anna," Elsa said clearly. Then her blue eyes fluttered shut again, and this time she went completely unconscious.

"Elsa?" Anna asked frantically. "Elsa? Elsa! _Elsa?!_ Gerda, fix Elsa! She won't answer! Is she…is she…"

Gerda glanced at Elsa's now placid expression on her too pale even for her face; then realized Elsa was still breathing. "No, princess, but she's close to it. She isn't breathing right," she said quietly.

"Elsa's gone unconscious," Anna said flatly. _Were those Elsa's last words? Just that she loves me?_ "Oh, Elsa, I love you so much…I wish I could help you get better," she whispered.

Anna stayed right where she was, clutching Elsa's hand as tightly as she could all the rest of the night. The minutes ticked by slowly, and she knew her sister's breathing was steadily growing shallower and more irregular. Anna heard her mother leave and come back with Agdar, and Anna just stayed sitting by Elsa's side holding her hand. She didn't move nor did she look up at her parents. All that mattered to her was Elsa. Anna began just talking reassuringly to her sister, hoping Elsa could somehow hear her, even if she wasn't able to respond. "I love you, Elsa. I wish I could help you, but I can't…just like before when you were stuck in your room. I couldn't help you then, either. The only thing different is that at least you're happy now. And you're not alone anymore…That's good…Elsa, if you…if y-you have to go…it…it's okay. I understand…I just wish I could have had you with me for much longer than six months…but…but please d-don't try to stay anymore just 'cause of me if you c-can't... I…I'll try to be all right…"

Anna's tears streamed down her cheeks when she felt a barely perceptible squeeze from Elsa on her hand and saw Elsa's smiling face. _She looks absolutely peaceful…like nothing's going to bother her ever again._ Anna turned her head to look out the window just as morning broke. The snow on the ground outside sparkled and glistened brightly, too bright to be natural. Anna's eyes grew big as she instantly jerked her gaze back to Elsa. _Wait a second…she's gone. I know she is. I don't know how I know, but I just do._

 _Elsa, what am I going to do without you?_ She buried her face in Elsa's comforter and just cried, still clutching her sister's hand tightly.

* * *

Elsa found herself somehow floating somewhere. She could not see anything for a moment, but somehow she didn't feel scared. _This is not a hallucination. I know it isn't. I think I heard Anna telling me not to try to stay anymore if I couldn't…I tried to squeeze her hand…_ Elsa felt weightless, as if she were floating. She was a tiny bird, a fairy, a blue sparkly wisp. She didn't really know. Elsa saw Anna sobbing over her own body and temporarily felt confused before reaching a hand out to touch Anna. She could feel Anna's shoulder, but she knew Anna could neither see nor feel nor understand she was there. _A snowflake for you, Anna…please don't forget me._ Elsa left a tiny ice snowflake pendant around her little sister's neck. _My way to tell you I'm okay._

A gentle breeze sent her floating outdoors, and she wondered if she had turned into a snowflake of sorts. Elsa glanced at her own arms and realized the blotchy rash from when she'd been sick was gone, and her sprained wrist was completely healed. _I am not a snowflake. I'm still me. And I don't have wings, but I'm floating…_ Struck by a sudden thought, Elsa started to look at her left wrist where the faint scar left a telltale sign that she had tried to commit suicide three years before. Maybe that was gone too. Elsa felt an overwhelming sense of peace as she looked at her flawless skin. The scar was gone as well.

Elsa realized she was no longer wearing her chemise or her nightgown; she was wearing a dress eerily similar to the cobalt blue ice-dress she had made, but this one was the same color as her original ice-dress. A strong wind whisked her up to the North Mountain and dropped her near the balcony, still floating.

 _Well done, my good and faithful servant,_ a deep but comforting voice said.

 _Who are you?_ Elsa asked. _Who am I?_

 _You already know Me, Elsa._

A bright light surrounded her, and then Elsa knew. God really loved her? Elsa had no idea how she knew; she just did. _Who am I, then? I didn't fit in with normal human beings,_ Elsa replied in a whisper.

 _You are indeed abnormal and did not fit in, but only to certain other people. Did your sister think that? No, she did not. You have a very special gift, Elsa. You used it well once you were allowed to._

 _If my powers were a gift, why did I hurt so much inside for so long?_ Elsa could no longer feel her inner pain, but she knew how she had felt in the past. Elsa saw no one, but she somehow felt someone holding her and giving her a hug. She blinked, and suddenly she was floating in a tunnel, a bright, clear light at the end beckoning her.

Something carried her straight to the end of the tunnel in seconds. A glowing gate greeted her, but there was no one in sight. Elsa tried to turn back, but found she couldn't.

 _You asked who you are, Elsa,_ that same voice said. _You know who you are, little girl. Who are you?_

 _Snow Queen Elsa of Arendelle?_ Elsa asked.

 _No, Elsa. I shall tell you. You are a young girl whose name is Elsa. Just plain Elsa. Only Elsa. Nothing more. Those other names_ describe _you. They are not truly you. You have a gift, Elsa. You are not finished yet._

Elsa felt confused now. _Why am I here if I am not finished yet? I thought I died!_ Elsa found herself standing solidly on her own two feet right in front of the gate. She beamed, her big blue eyes lighting up. _I can stand up by myself. My left leg isn't messed up anymore!_

 _Elsa, you may choose to stay here, but there is a country that is in dire need of your help. You have been given a special gift. I am not finished with you yet. There is a job waiting for you back in Arendelle. Someone…three someones, in fact, are willing to sacrifice something for you._

Elsa replied without hesitation. This place was wonderful; all the marks, both physical and emotional, of her past could not hurt or bother her here, but if Arendelle needed help, she had to go back. She had to take care of Anna, especially. _Then I must go back._

 _You must take time to recover from that illness, Elsa. Do you still wish to go back?_

 _I wouldn't be any help to Anna or Arendelle if I'm just trying to recover from being deathly ill,_ Elsa said, looking longingly at that mesmerizingly beautiful gate. _Can't Anna just come here?_

 _No, Elsa. Not yet._

* * *

 _What's this? Elsa, is this from you?_ Anna finally registered that there was a delicate, sparkling little snowflake necklace made of ice hanging around her neck. Even the chain was constructed of tiny links of ice- _Elsa's_ ice. That didn't come from nowhere. _It doesn't even feel cold against my skin…it's just cool. Like Elsa herself. Wait…this means Elsa's okay! She's not here anymore, but she's okay. She's okay. My big sister is all right._ "Thank you so much, Elsa," she whispered. "Thanks for telling me you're all right." Anna suddenly stood up straight from where she had been sobbing over her sister's body and began shouting at the top of her lungs. "Elsa's _gone_ , permanently gone, because YOU two kept her isolated from people for so long! It's not fair! _I want my sister back!_ She didn't deserve to die! I want Elsa! And now you two have taken her away from me again! She was the nicest, gentlest, best, and most awesome person ever, and you _never_ even told her so! You just hurt her instead! You hurt her both inside and outside. Elsa _still_ didn't understand why her own sister cared about her. I want my big sister! I want my sweet big sister back…" Anna scooped Elsa's body up and shook her hard, as if that might somehow bring Elsa back. "Elsa, please…I love you so much…please…please… _I want you to come back!_ Elsa…" _I want Elsa back. She's my big sister and I already miss her so much…but I do know she's okay. Elsa's all right. She's probably actually better off not being here…nothing can hurt her anymore. But I still want my big sister back!_

Gerda gently steered Anna away and handed her the letter Elsa had written. "Miss Anna, your sister wrote this and said I wasn't to give it to you until after she…died. Sit down and read." She pushed Anna into the comfy chair in the corner and handed her Elsa's letter.

Anna's eyes were swimming with tears as she started reading. _'Dear Anna, If you're reading this, then I've probably just died and Gerda gave this to you. I know you're probably upset, but_ please _don't cry. I love you just as much as ever. I'm so, so sorry I had to leave and abandon you again…but I don't think I even belong here-there?-I don't know. You made me feel at home and like I belong in Arendelle, but let's face it: someone like me just doesn't fit. You'll be better off without me, even though I already miss you so much. I don't know exactly how what happens after you die works, but I know I will be able to see you. I don't know how I know; I just do. So please remember that I'm watching you and if I ever see you in trouble and I can still use my powers somehow to help you-maybe a snowstorm that appears to be natural, I don't know?-I will do so. Can I send you my signature snowflake, maybe?_

"You did, Elsa," Anna whispered, clasping her tiny snowflake pendant in her fist. "You already did."

 _'I just hope you don't forget me, even if I was a useless little girl you had to take care of a lot of the time. Well, not useless. I just…_ feel _useless sometimes._

"I'll never, never, ever forget you, you stinker. Why would you even be worried about that…?"

 _'I mean…I cry a lot. My past still hurts me so much sometimes. I miss being little when I hadn't hurt you. I'm damaged both physically and emotionally. I can't walk properly without that brace. Is it selfish to say I honestly both love and hate that thing? Love because it lets me walk at all and hate because it's hard to walk without being able to bend your knee. I'm rambling here…I think you're taking over my brain.:) And I still ache inside when I think about things that happened in the past. My heart hurts sometimes…at least I don't get panic attacks anymore or stutter all the time when I try to talk. I just…I don't know. I should quit thinking about it. Guess I should follow my own words and let it go, shouldn't I? Never mind…_

"Well, you're not going to hurt anymore now," Anna said softly. "Never again." Elsa's words actually made Anna smile. Her sweet big sister was permanently free from whatever pain that still lingered in her heart. Elsa was fine. That snowflake necklace Elsa had left her proved that.

 _'I just want to tell you thank you for always being willing to accept me for…me, even when I was all messed up inside three years ago. You never made me feel bad or guilty or anything else for trying to commit suicide. You just…took care of me. You somehow let me know what I did was wrong without picking on me. Do you remember I ended up promising you I wouldn't try that again? That promise was the only thing that kept me from doing it again after you left the ice palace back in the summer. I just…couldn't break yet another promise I'd made to you. I remember you asked me if my wrist still hurt afterwards and I said it was fine…well, it_ was _'fine', but it really hurt. I just couldn't bring myself to care then…I thought I deserved it._

 _Anna…you saved my life over and over. I know if you hadn't kept talking to me, I probably would have made another attempt until I actually succeeded. I think I just hurt inside too much for too long… My mind and heart just felt so…worn out. Like when Dad left me in the dungeon right before that "two-week trip"? I_ was _angry, but mostly I just felt depressed and miserable. Then you found me and let me out. I remember you actually gave me a hug before you freed my hands. You_ held _me. You held me and made me feel a tiny bit better. You didn't even know what was wrong with me then. You just loved and accepted me just like I was. Thank you so much for that._

 _Anna, I love you so much. Please forgive me for whatever pain I've ever caused you. I didn't mean it, whatever those things might be. Please take care of Arendelle for me and help Mama and Dad take care of Weselton. You must form a military force since I won't be there to defend Arendelle with my powers. Please don't rush to get married, but you and Kristoff do have my blessing._

 _Tell Mama I said thank you for taking care of me while I was so ill and that I love her and Dad. Tell Dad I said thank you for not hating me, even if he still doesn't like me very much. It's all right. Tell Dad I'm sorry I was never the perfect daughter he was hoping I'd be, but that I did try my best. Tell him I love him, too. Give both Mama and Dad a hug for me, please. I know Dad will let_ you _hug him._

 _I'm thinking it's probably Christmas or very close to it, isn't it? So merry Christmas from me, Anna. I'm so sorry we didn't even get to spend one Christmas together…something else I ruined… Please go celebrate anyway…I know you were decorating, hoping I'd get better. I don't want you mourning over me. It's wrong and not good for you. Remember? Let it go? Sadness and pain are good things to let go of.:)_

 _I love you, Anna._

 _Your sister,_

 _Elsa'_

"She knew she was dying before anyone else did," Anna whispered. "She even knew it was close to Christmas…" Anna clutched Elsa's letter to her heart. She could tell Elsa hadn't been a hundred percent clearheaded when she had written it-Elsa's signature dignified and fancy wording was missing, and some of the handwriting looked a bit shaky-but the emotions Elsa had managed to get on paper were there clear as day. "Oh, Elsa…thank you so much," she said softly.

Anna carefully unclasped her necklace and looked at it closely. Tiny, nearly unreadable words were engraved in the ice.

 _No fear. Love = freedom._

 **A/N: Don't kill me for this!:P Just wait and see what happens. Please?:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**

 **P.S. There _will_ be a sequel to this story, by the way.:)**


	29. Christmas Present a Day Late

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing:)**

 **QueenIcelandia-Yes, it does get better in this chapter.:) I said 'happy ending' and there's no happy ending with no Elsa.:)**

 **CieloFede-I PMed you, so...I won't make you reread everything here.:)**

 **raven678-I promised a happy ending, remember.:)**

 **Guest-Just read on.:) I said 'happy ending' and you can't have a happy ending with no Elsa.:)**

 **mctiffanygamingmc-Elsa's okay.:) She'll be fine. Promise! And yes, there's going to be a sequel:)**

 **Mandy-I just didn't think it was believable if Elsa randomly recovered from being so sick. She has little to no immune system to help her get better.:/ And no, that's _not_ the end for Elsa. She gets to choose.:) No, I've never had an experience like that in my life, but it's what I would imagine it to be like. Anna is angry at her parents right now because she knows the main reason Elsa couldn't recover from her illness stems from being isolated from people for so long. And yet she does know Elsa is all right...she just misses her big sister badly and wants her back.:/ Well, one reason Elsa wrote so much is because she knew she wouldn't be able to say all of that verbally since she was sick; and the other is that she wanted Anna to have something from her even after she was gone. In my mind, Agdar didn't know what to say to Elsa and therefore said nothing. He knows Elsa being so ill is pretty much his fault.:P Yes, there's a sequel!:) Thanks for not being mad! I guess I could say 'You're welcome', but that sounds pretty silly, considering the seriousness of what you just said:) You're welcome anyways, though.:) Thank you for sticking with the story:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-Well, Elsa is a good writer...probably better writer than speaker.:) Also she was ill and knew she wouldn't be able to talk much when she wanted to tell Anna those things.:/ Thank you:)**

 **Karl The Wizard-I'll say right now Elsa's coming back even though it's a spoiler because I will NOT permanently kill off Elsa or Anna. Ever. They might get hurt or something, but I won't kill them off. Besides, how can there be a Frozen story with no Elsa?!:) And yes, coming back means Elsa willingly puts herself back somewhere where she needs to seriously recover both inside and outside. Also, she wants Anna and she can't unless she goes back. I kinda feel bad for putting Elsa through so much, and yet I'm just rooting for her to win 'cause I know exactly what will eventually happen in this story and its sequel.:)**

 **Dragonheart35-Sorry?:P I know the last chapter was really sad, but this one is happier!:) Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it, even if if it was sad and kinda depressing.:P (Although not as depressing as it could have been since we know Elsa is all right.:))**

 **badbloodkiller1-Thank you!:) Thanks for reading all those chapters within about a day or so like that.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"We gotta get back!" Olaf said excitedly as Marshmallow lumbered quickly back to Arendelle, holding him and Rania.

Rania had realized that the three of them had their own life Elsa had given them, but it was derived from Elsa's magic. So…couldn't they heal Elsa if one or all of them sacrificed their own lives and gave Elsa hers back? That was what the snow beings were hoping, anyways. "Elsa died," Rania said suddenly, sensing that Elsa was missing. "She's gone."

"MARSHMALLOW STILL HELP ELSA?" Marshmallow asked.

"We're gonna try, of course," Olaf announced, ever hopeful. All three of them knew their plan might not work, but they were willing to risk it.

"ANNA OPEN WINDOW!" Marshmallow demanded, looking straight into Elsa's room from outside.

Agdar's eyes went wide. "Why are those things still alive if my daughter isn't?!" he demanded. _Elsa is really gone. She's gone, and I never once told her I cared about her or loved her or anything. She died thinking her father didn't like her._ He awkwardly touched Elsa's platinum hair and strode out of the room without looking back, his own eyes beginning to tear up.

Anna opened the window, still clutching Elsa's letter in her hand. "Marshmallow, Elsa is gone. She's dead. Please just go," she said quietly.

Rania hopped down into the window seat and stared straight at Anna. "We think we can help. Bring Elsa over here. Please."

"You don't understand! She's _dead_ , Rania! What part of dead do you not understand?! She's gone and she's not coming back!" Anna shouted tearfully.

"I GO FIRST," Marshmallow rumbled. Knowing Olaf was the most precious to Anna, Marshmallow had decided he would try to help Elsa first. If it didn't work or wasn't strong enough, then Rania would try. Then, and only then, would Olaf attempt to help if he needed to.

Anna obliged and scooped Elsa's body up and carried her over to the window, but she was sure this wasn't going to make any difference. Her eyes grew big when she realized what Marshmallow was doing. _He's…sacrificing his own life to try to help Elsa…_

"If this works, don't let Elsa even attempt to revive us until she is completely better," Rania ordered. "'Cause I think we can give Elsa her life back, but we can't really heal her."

Marshmallow's huge ice hand-claw?-gently touched Elsa's lifeless body as Marshmallow sent all of the magic ingrained inside him back into Elsa. Soon Marshmallow was just a pile of snow in the courtyard, and tears ran down Anna's cheeks all the more. Rania did the same, and Olaf was just about to do the same himself, when Anna noticed a bit of color was coming back to Elsa's face.

* * *

 _I wish to go back._ Elsa suddenly felt herself leave this wonderful place where she was at the moment, and she knew she was back in Arendelle in her own physical body.

Where she belonged. At least for a while longer. Back with Anna. Back in her country. _Because my country and Anna need me for some reason._

* * *

"Olaf, no!" Anna shouted. "Look at Elsa! I think…I think she's…she's alive?" Anna's face lit up when she felt Elsa stir ever so slightly in her arms. "Elsa?" she whispered, almost afraid to believe her eyes.

"Water?" Elsa asked weakly. Her blue eyes slowly flickered open and focused on her little sister. _Anna…I see Anna!_ "Anna! Anna…I'm back…I'm back!" She did not believe for one second that what had happened wasn't real. It was clear as day to her, and it had _not_ been a hallucination.

Anna screamed for joy and hugged Elsa close. "Mom! Dad! Come quick! Elsa! It's Elsa! She's…she's alive! She's right here and she asked for water! I heard her!" She stood up and grabbed the glass of water off the nightstand; then held it to Elsa's mouth and supported her head so she could drink it. Anna scowled the second Elsa was finished drinking her water. "Now that I know you're okay, _what the heck were you thinking_?!" she shouted. "Writing that I'd be better off without you and that you don't belong here?! You're an idiot, Elsa! A big fat idiot!"

Elsa gave her little sister a lopsided smile. "You get your dead sister back and the first thing you do is yell at her?" she asked, half giggling. "You're a stinker, Anna."

Anna plopped back down in the comfy chair in the corner and frowned and just hugged her big sister tightly. "I just…I'll _never_ be better off without you. You _do_ belong here…I _lost_ you, Elsa! I thought you weren't gonna come back…you were dead. You weren't breathing and you didn't have a pulse, at least I don't think so, and-"

"I'm okay, Anna," Elsa interrupted, fiddling with the bandage wrapped around her hand and wrist. "I might need you to help and take care of me 'til I'm completely recovered, but I'm okay. You have that damaged little girl back, for better or for worse. And she's not leaving again. Not anytime soon." Elsa smiled, remembering what she had heard and seen. _I should tell Anna…_ "Anna…I was floating somewhere…I saw you. I'd have been able to see you if I hadn't come back. Something fixed me, too…my leg worked properly again and that scar on my left wrist was gone and I didn't hurt inside anymore. There was this shining gate, but I didn't get to go through it 'cause I decided to come back…" She looked up at Anna, her expression both elated and sad. "If I'd been able to have you there with me, I would have stayed, I think. I know it's selfish, but…"

"You came back because of me?" Anna asked. _Why would she pass up staying in a place like that? And I know Elsa isn't telling stories…I think she saw heaven or something. She had to have!_

"Someone told me I wasn't finished yet. That my country needed me, which meant you needed me too. I didn't actually see anyone, but…but that Someone _loved_ me. I don't even know how I know; I just do. He s-said…said my powers were a gift." Elsa closed her eyes as happy tears ran down her pale cheeks.

"Elsa, you should have stayed. You deserve to be happy more than anyone." Anna gently brushed Elsa's tears away as she frowned at her sister's happy expression. _Elsa is so happy because she was told her powers were a gift. Of course they are! Elsa's perfect. Absolutely perfect. Just like she is._

Elsa's big blue eyes gazed earnestly at her little sister. "No. I did the right thing. It isn't the same, and I'm still going to hurt inside sometimes; but _Snow Queen Elsa_ belongs here right now. She's a damaged little girl inside, but she's also the reigning monarch of Arendelle and she has a job to do. I don't know exactly what danger Arendelle is in, but I _will_ defend us. I just need your help, I think." She paused before adding happily, "So you _did_ get the necklace!"

 _The power crystals Pabbie was talking about! That's something only someone like Elsa could defend Arendelle from if something happened._ Anna decided to withhold that knowledge until Elsa was completely better. _Elsa's back here safe, but she's also weak and she needs to recover._ "I'll help you any way I can…and you aren't defending anything until you're completely recovered. And don't use this hand right now, 'cause I'm afraid you're going to hurt your wrist more," Anna said firmly as she gently held her sister's bandaged hand, making sure she didn't hurt Elsa's wrist. "Elsa…when I read what you wrote on this necklace, I somehow just knew you were all right. And it was true! You were in the bestest place that was more than we could even imagine." Then she went as fast as she could down the hall to her parents' room, still carrying her sister. _Elsa's alive! She's right here and she's going to be okay! At least I think so._

"Too hot," Elsa complained, trying to wiggle out from the blanket still wrapped around her. "Anna…where are you taking me?" She finally freed her good hand from the blanket and made it snow over her own head; then giggled at the face Anna made.

"Yeah, I think you're gonna be just fine," Anna announced, hugging her sister tightly. _Elsa seems weak from being so sick, but she's fine. Definitely fine since she's feeling too hot and dumping snow on us._

Elsa giggled a bit and leaned her head against Anna's shoulder. She didn't feel ill at all anymore, just rather weak and tired. That and Anna's voice sounded…a bit far away to her, like it was muffled, even though she knew Anna was right there. Well, except for when Anna had been yelling at her. _I shan't tell Anna that unless I have to. Anyways, I'm at home and I'm safe with my baby sister._

Anna frowned as she asked her sister the same question for the third time. "Elsa, I _said_ , how are you feeling?" she asked loudly.

Elsa blinked in confusion at her sister. _What do I say?_ "Tired," she said finally. She bit her lip as she realized her parents were right there in front of her. "I didn't hear you come in," Elsa added, not realizing what she was saying.

"Sweetie, we've been right here for the last thirty seconds or so," Idun said quietly. "We're so glad you're…alive." She gently took Elsa from Anna and just held her close. _I don't know what happened, but Elsa's here, and she's very much alive. Elsa's alive! She's here and we have her back. She's my sweet little girl. What a wonderful Christmas present…a day late. It's the 26_ _th_ _already._

Elsa looked puzzled at her mother, not having caught most of what Idun had said. "Could you repeat that? I didn't understand," Elsa said, her own voice sounding not quite right to her. _Well, maybe that will go away. I know that's not always a permanent aftereffect._

Agdar scowled and stalked out of the room, but not before touching Elsa's hair and then giving her arm a gentle squeeze. _Elsa might have dangerous ice powers, but she definitely doesn't deserve that. She's back home in Arendelle safe, but she's not sound. Literally. Why is there something wrong with her ears now?! That is not fair._

 _You weren't fair to her for all those years, Agdar. You have no room to talk. You locked a little girl in her room and she's still hurting because her own father abused her. You didn't hurt her on purpose, but it doesn't change the facts._ Anna had shown Elsa's 'last words' letter to both her father and her mother. Agdar had read it and instantly been horrified. Elsa wouldn't have written all those things if they weren't true and then some. He knew Elsa did not like talking about her feelings, and her emotions were all over that letter, both positive and negative ones. _Go back and talk to her. At least just stay in the room with her so she knows you want to be with her._

 _Elsa doesn't want me with her…but wait a minute. She does. I know she does. She told Anna to give Idun and me hugs from her in that letter._

Agdar turned and strode back towards his family.

* * *

"Mama, I can hear you, just…not as well as normal," Elsa explained. "Let's just not talk about it. It might not even be permanent anyways…I mean, it's pretty obvious it's just from me being so sick. Besides, magical powers didn't make me sick, so if it ends up being permanent, Rapunzel can easily fix it next time we see her. Very simple." Elsa felt more awake now, and she contentedly watched her signature snowflake hover over her palm. _I'm home with my family. I'm fine._ Elsa abruptly dissolved her snowflake when she saw her father. "Hi, Dad."

Agdar frowned and awkwardly held his hand like Elsa had been doing. "No, do…whatever it is you were doing, Elsa," he said a bit louder than usual so Elsa could easily understand. "Just…keep it away from me."

Elsa just stayed where she was, curled up on her mother's lap in one of the big soft recliners in her parents' room, feeling self-conscious as she held her hands close against her chest. _Maybe I understood wrong. Dad couldn't have told me to go ahead and make my signature snowflake. He hates my powers._ She hesitantly held out one shaky hand and made her snowflake again, hoping she was doing the right thing. _Is this what I'm supposed to do, Dad? I'm not sure._

Agdar took Elsa's good hand and looked her straight in the eyes. "You are not a freak. You might be defective physically, but you are perfect inside. You have a heart of gold, Elsa."

Elsa hadn't quite caught everything, but she heard enough to understand. _Dad cares about me. He said I wasn't a freak…_ She impulsively tried to jump to her feet, only to fall to the floor.

Agdar's expression crumpled, and he grabbed Elsa's arm, roughly hauled her to her feet, and then shoved her into Anna's arms before leaving the room as fast as possible. He would not show tears in front of Elsa.

Anna stuck out her tongue at her father, not caring she was being rude. Then she moved so she was simply supporting most of Elsa's weight so she could stand up rather than leaving Elsa half-slumped to the floor.

Elsa hung her head as her blue eyes filled with tears. "What did I do wrong?" she asked, rubbing her arm with her other hand. "Didn't Dad say I could make my snowflake? Did I hear wrong?"

"No, you did not hear wrong, sweetie," Idun told her, simultaneously shaking her head as she spoke so Elsa would still understand whether she heard the words correctly or not. _I think he's just upset and doesn't want Elsa or anyone else to see that…_

"What date is it?" Elsa asked. "Anna, did you read that letter?"

Anna nodded and just picked Elsa up. "December 26th and yes. Do you want to go get dressed and fix your hair and whatnot, or do you want to go back to sleep?" she asked.

Elsa closed her eyes, feeling disgusted with herself for having to really think about what her sister had said to understand. _At the very least, Rapunzel can fix that the next time I see her. I'll be fine. And it's already better than it was. I can tell._ Elsa was used to her sharp hearing from all those years in her room listening to what was going on outside of it, and she felt slightly lost without that. She finally took a guess as to what Anna had said, and replied, "I would like to go find my ice-dress, please."

* * *

Anna just smiled at Elsa and carried her back down the hall. She could tell the whole thing was bothering her sister, so she decided she would talk out loud as little as possible to Elsa and just spend time with her instead. Maybe they could go play chess or something. And Anna knew Elsa would love her Christmas presents. _I don't care what happened to Elsa's ears; she's still my sweet big sister and I have her back. And even if they don't get better on their own, I know Rapunzel can heal them for Elsa whenever we see her again. 'Cause it's because she was so sick, not 'cause of magical powers._

"I can put on my dress by myself, thank you. Go away, Anna…just for a few minutes. I'll call you, I promise," Elsa told her sister a minute later. "Please?"

Anna nodded and went out into the hall, but she also announced loudly, "If you aren't through in ten minutes, I'm coming in anyways."

Elsa giggled. She had definitely understood _that_ properly. Elsa quickly fastened her brace on her leg and slipped on her absolute favorite dress-her original ice-dress; then managed to brush out her hair before simply falling asleep sprawled across her bed on her tummy. While Elsa didn't feel ill anymore, she became tired very easily.

When Anna tiptoed into the room a short while later, she was first alarmed to see her sister lying on her bed; then realized Elsa was just fast asleep. _That stinker made herself so tired she fell asleep. Bad Elsa!_ Anna eyed Elsa's long thick hair falling loosely down her back and immediately remembered something she had planned to give Elsa for Christmas. _I think I'll give them to her now, actually…_ Anna ran off down the hall, came back with a medium-sized box, and shook Elsa's shoulder.

Elsa blinked sleepily at her sister. "Anna…?" _Oh. Oh yeah. I must have fallen asleep without even finishing getting ready._ She slowly sat up and brushed her loose hair away from her face.

"May I pretty please do your hair?" Anna asked in a slightly louder voice than usual.

Elsa smiled and nodded as she tried to stand up; but her tired body felt too weak to do so and she just plopped back on the bed. She closed her eyes and just sighed; then said quietly, "I can't stand up right now…I'm sorry." _It's no big deal, Elsa. You're just home safe with Anna._

Anna didn't even reply; she just gently scooped her sister up and set her down in a chair in front of the mirror before handing the box to her. _I don't care what Elsa needs; I'm going to help her recover. She's my sweet big sister and I will not lose her yet again._

"Blue ones," Elsa said promptly as she peeked in the box, which was full of hair ribbons in a myriad of different colors. Elsa had a few hair ribbons already, but not many. "Thank you, Anna. They're all so pretty!" She twisted partway around and watched her sister start a small fire in the fireplace and heat up a curling iron. "Anna…I don't think I want that thing near me," she said hesitantly. Elsa had never curled her hair in her life; not only had she never really thought about it, now Elsa was quite sure she did not want a hot piece of metal touching her hair.

"Can we try it?" Anna gave her sister a pleading look. "I think you'd look so pretty with curls. I promise we can stop immediately if you don't like it."

Elsa tilted her head to one side, trying to decipher as much of Anna's words as she could, despite her temporarily damaged ears. "I didn't catch all of that, I don't think," she said finally.

Anna went back over to her sister and repeated her words. This time Elsa understood, and she nodded. "Okay. Sounds fair," Elsa agreed.

Elsa flinched when she felt the intense heat nearing her, but she trusted Anna not to burn her…well, at least not on purpose, anyways…so she just clasped her hands together in her lap and just sat stiffly, trying her best not to flinch at the too-hot thing so close to her.

Anna gently took a small section of her sister's hair and began curling it. Anna was very impatient if she tried to curl her own hair-she usually just did pigtail braids and left it at that-but she immediately decided curling Elsa's thick platinum hair was much more fun than curling her own. _Elsa's hair is so pretty. I don't understand why she doesn't like it. It's not weird; it's just dramatic. And she has a lot of hair, too. Silly Elsa._

Elsa smiled a bit when she glanced up at her reflection a few minutes later. "I like my curls," she told Anna. _I still like my single braid best, but this is a nice change-up._ Since Elsa's hair was so long, she just had a lot of loose ringlets tumbling down her back and over her shoulders.

Anna grinned and grabbed two dark blue ribbons from the box. She carefully pulled back the front part of her sister's hair and tied a ribbon on either side of Elsa's head to keep her hair away from her face. _Elsa looks absolutely...cute. I should not tell her that, either, 'cause she won't like it._

Elsa scowled in annoyance at her reflection, thinking having her hair fixed this way made her look even younger than she did ordinarily, but she didn't take the ribbons out. Anna had taken the time to fix her hair; the least she could do was leave it alone. "Thank you, Anna," she said finally.

Anna's expression fell. "You don't like it?"

Elsa had understood that, so she answered, "Only because I look about eleven or twelve like this. I love the ribbons and the curls, just not…together. But I want it to stay like this for today. Just for you." _Anna, please don't be upset…_

Rather than verbally answering, Anna just picked Elsa up and plopped down in the comfy chair in the corner, still holding her sister close. _I have my sweet big sister right here with me. She's alive. Really, truly alive. I love Elsa so much._ Anna decided right then that she would let Elsa out of her sight as little as possible. She'd lost her entirely once; that was _not_ going to happen again. And that wasn't even including all those years when her big sister had been isolated in her room hurting so much. She wondered what Elsa would have been like if she had grown up actually being treated properly. _Probably she'd be exactly like she is now, except…Elsa wouldn't hurt inside. She would have more self-worth than she does now. She'd be a…a grown-up version of her eight-year-old self…_ Anna blinked rapidly to keep tears from trickling down her cheeks as she looked down at the contented girl in her arms.

Elsa looked almost vulnerable right now; her eyes were closed and she was curled up in Anna's arms, her braced leg stretched awkwardly in front of her. Right now Elsa didn't care what she looked like; she was safe in her little sister's arms and nothing was going to hurt her. _Wait a minute…I'm happy right now, but Anna isn't._ She looked up at Anna and immediately threw her arms around Anna's neck, ignoring her sore wrist. "Anna, please don't cry. What's wrong?"

Anna just shook her head and didn't say anything, not wanting to put Elsa through trying to hear what she was saying and then getting frustrated because she couldn't. She just hugged Elsa tightly.

"You do know I can still hear you, just not properly," Elsa said quietly, knowing exactly why Anna wasn't saying anything. "Just talk a bit louder than usual and I'll be able to understand just fine."

"I…I was just thinking what you might be like if Mom and Dad actually treated you properly after the accident…it's not _fair_! I love you just like you are, but you're still hurting inside, and you never, ever did anything wrong. _Nothing!_ It's just…just…I miss the little eight-year-old Elsa that actually valued herself and wasn't hurting inside. Elsa, do you even realize all the things you wrote in that letter?"

"I think so…do you still have it?" Elsa asked, wondering what exactly she had written that she might not have remembered writing down.

Anna pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to her sister. "And don't tell me you didn't mean those things, Elsa. You somehow got your emotions out all over that letter…"

Elsa's blue eyes filled with tears as she read through her own letter. She remembered writing most of this, but not all of it. _I hadn't wanted to say some of this…not the suicide part and not the feeling useless part, either. I don't feel like that all the time, actually not nearly all the time, but I do sometimes…_ "I'm sorry, Anna, so, so sorry," Elsa said softly. "I…I didn't mean to write some of this…I just…I don't know…" She just put her face in her hands in shame and tried her best not to cry. Elsa's slender body shook all over as she pressed herself closer to her little sister. _Don't cry, don't cry. I don't want to make Anna upset…except I don't think it matters. She already knows._

Anna had no idea what to say; not only would Elsa probably not even hear her through her distress, she knew there wasn't really anything _to_ say. Elsa couldn't force her heart and mind not to hurt anymore. She could force her emotions to stay locked inside, but that just made it all the worse. _I wish I hadn't said anything at all. Now Elsa feels bad for making me upset when it's not even something she can change. We can't change the past, but…wait. We can change the future. It's just…nothing can erase what happened to Elsa when she was little. She grew up being emotionally abused by the two people that should have loved her the most. She has emotional scars inside, and I don't think they're ever going to go away entirely._ "I just love you so much, Elsa…I _hate_ knowing you're still hurting, even if you're loads better and perfectly happy most of the time."

"I just didn't want you to know!" Elsa cried. "You…you take care of me all the time…does that mean there's something wrong with me that I can't just completely forget about those things? I don't like hurting….not one little bit. I wish it would go away and never come back. I'm fine now with you and Mama and Gerda; I know I am. I'm not going to be chained in the dungeon again. I'm not going to be locked in my room 'until you can at least appear to be a normal girl'. Or be trapped in my closet for hours…"

"WHAT?!"

Even to Elsa's ears, that had come out as an angry shout. "Um…I almost forgot about it 'til just now. Let's not talk about it. Anna, can we go play chess or something?"

Anna scowled. "Not 'til you tell me what happened," she said firmly.

Elsa sighed. _Why do you even want to know?_ "I was ten, and I'd asked Dad if I could say something to you through the door. I was mad when he said no, so I purposely iced the floor and started skating around the room. Then I heard you knock, and I was just going to start adding jumps when I thought 'Anna! I hurt Anna with my ice! I shouldn't be playing with it! Bad girl, Elsa. Very bad girl.' I fell and hurt my ankle, and I guess you went to get Dad 'cause you heard me say ow or something…Dad l-left me trapped in the closet for icing the floor. That's all." Elsa buried her face in her sister's shoulder and refused to move. _That's the past, not the present. The past, not the present. I'm here safe and sound-oh, wait, not_ sound _…_ She found herself bursting into giggles at that thought; the joke was on her, so Elsa thought it was funny.

"What on earth is so funny?!" Anna demanded. "And did Dad just leave you in the closet with a hurt ankle?! That's horrible!" _So he didn't even get Elsa taken care of physically properly? Elsa was just a little girl…she was probably hurting more inside than because of her ankle. Why would anyone do that to someone like Elsa?! And…and Elsa tried to get permission to talk to me?_ Anna realized something else that she'd forgotten about: no wonder Elsa still seemed like a little girl sometimes. She _was_. That little girl had been conditioned into believing so many lies about herself; no wonder twenty-one-year-old Elsa had problems dumping them. Elsa had grown up physically, and she was far older than her age regarding politics and things like that; but her heart, her emotions, her inner self? Those were all still that of a traumatized child. She was much better at dealing with her emotions now, but Anna thought her big sister still tended to either completely clam up or let her emotions come tumbling out and change very quickly.

"I was just thinking 'I'm here safe and sound', trying to remind myself that was the past, not the present, and, well…I'm not _sound_. I can't hear right, and…" Elsa's voice trailed off when she realized Anna did not think that was the least bit funny. "You don't even get it, do you? Never mind…and Anna, to be fair, Dad didn't even know I had hurt my ankle. I know he didn't. He was just so mad he didn't notice. Dad wasn't trying to hurt me," Elsa said firmly. _What Dad did was wrong, but I know he wasn't trying to hurt me. And he hurt me inside, not on the outside._

Anna sighed but said nothing, and just held her sister tightly. _First she makes a joke that picks on herself, and then she's defending Dad. Why?_

* * *

Agdar had been listening to the two girls' conversation in the hall, and now he rapped on the door. _Elsa just tried to defend what I did to her. Why would she do that?!_ "Elsa, come out here now, please," he said firmly.

Elsa looked to her sister for help; she had heard her father's voice, but not his exact words. _Actually, I think my ears are already better. Maybe I just need to 'clear my head' so to speak, and they'll be completely back to normal in a little while. Makes sense, anyways…_ When Anna repeated their father's words to her, Elsa just flinched and clung to Anna. _I don't feel scared, exactly…I just don't want to talk to Dad about that. I only told Anna because she asked me._

Elsa looked curiously at her father as Anna carried her out into the hallway. While Elsa felt much, much better, she wasn't strong enough to walk by herself yet, even with her brace. _That's temporary. I know it is…it's fine, Elsa._

"Elsa. You…you defended your father locking you in the closet when you were ten. Why?" Agdar asked.

"Because I believe you genuinely didn't know you were hurting me for some reason," Elsa replied instantly. "You dislike my powers, but you don't dislike the rest of me. Besides," now Elsa gave her father a lopsided smile, "ten-year-old me _did_ disobey. Perhaps it wasn't fair, but I did disobey."

Anna stuck out her tongue at Elsa, which made her giggle. Elsa dropped several large snowflakes on her sister's head, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

Agdar gave his elder daughter a quizzical look. "Whose actions do you consider wrong, then, in that incident? Yours or mine?"

Elsa's giggles vanished and her expression turned serious. "Both of us, Dad. Think about it, please. A father instructs his ten-year-old daughter to keep her uncontrollable abilities inside her. The ten-year-old gets angry and ices the floor on purpose and hurts herself. The father comes back and finds the mess, becomes angry, and leaves the child in the closet as punishment for disobeying, genuinely not knowing she's hurt. I don't think either is good," she said quietly. _That seems logical to me…_

"And I think you gave Elsa some weird abused kid syndrome that we don't actually have a name for," Anna spat, which made Elsa flinch. _Why does Elsa think that's half her fault?! She was just a little girl! Elsa wouldn't have been out of control at all if she'd been cared for properly in the first place._

 _Does Elsa really have something like that wrong with her? She's absurdly smart, but she isn't being logical right now…_ Agdar glanced at Elsa's present expression; she just looked puzzled. "Elsa, you don't think a parent should notice their daughter has hurt herself because he or she is angry?" he asked carefully.

"I didn't say that; I said it was understandable and neither was good. Dad, you _never_ physically hurt me. I fell. That isn't the same thing. I don't think you should have put me in the closet, but I shouldn't have purposely iced the floor then, either." Elsa wasn't sure what to say; she genuinely believed both she and her father had been in the wrong.

"Do you remember what happened after that?" Agdar asked.

Elsa nodded and her pale face twisted in pain. _I remember only too well…_ "Gerda found me and bandaged up my ankle…you…y-you told me it was my own fault the next day and that maybe that would teach me to keep the ice in and 'conceal, don't feel' better…" _And it hurt. My ankle hurt and I hurt inside, too…_

Anna had finally heard enough. She turned partway away, glaring at her father as she protectively shielded Elsa in her arms. "Dad, how _dare_ you say things like that to her!" she exclaimed. "Why would you tell a little ten-year-old girl it was her own fault she got hurt?! From simply playing with something that's a physical part of her?!"

Agdar's face went completely neutral, and he just pressed a letter into Elsa's hand. "Anna, I was not finished talking," he said firmly. Then he awkwardly touched Elsa's head and added, "Your curls look pretty, Elsa," before abruptly striding off down the hall.

"Anna, you hurt Dad's feelings," Elsa said softly. "Could you please carry me wherever Dad went off to? I'd like to finish talking to him." _I can tell Dad feels guilty for what happened and just has no idea how or doesn't want to apologize. Probably both…_ "Actually wait. I want to read this letter first."

* * *

Anna went back into Elsa's room and plopped down in the comfy chair in the corner holding her sister. Elsa unfolded the letter and held it so they could both read it at the same time.

 _'Dear Elsa,_

 _You asked about your name. I am rather sure this will explain other things that have nothing to do with this. Elsa, your great-great-great grandmother had ice powers just like yours. As you might guess, her name was Ingrid. Your mother and I named you before we found out you had those powers. I suppose we should have been suspicious the second we saw your hair. No one in our family lineage has platinum hair like yours except for your great-great-great grandmother Ingrid._

 _I can see you now wondering why we wouldn't have wanted to tell you about Ingrid, since she's 'like you'. I shall tell you. Ingrid_ never _learned to control her powers, Elsa. You scared us because we were afraid you would end up like her. That special cell in the dungeons was something she constructed for herself to keep the public from wanting to kill her._

 _It kept the public from doing so, but it didn't keep her from doing it to herself. She lived in that cell until she committed suicide. This is why no one told you or Anna about Ingrid.'_

Elsa paused in her reading and sent a horrified glance at her little sister. "Anna…that could have been me. That _was_ almost me. If you hadn't rescued me…" Elsa's voice trailed off as she held Anna's hand tightly as she continued reading. _No wonder Dad acted so weird when I asked him about Ingrid!_

' _I can see now that while you still have the capability to be dangerous and actually are to some extent, you've managed to get those powers of yours under control with your sister's help. I should have allowed you and Anna to talk to one another after the accident. Perhaps Anna would have solved the puzzle rather quickly and you two could have grown up together. I am sincerely sorry, Elsa. You did not deserve that life, no matter what might be wrong with you. Your heart has always been in the right place._

 _I think you always appeared strong on the outside, Elsa, and so I never realized how much you were hurting inside. You are half tough as nails and half a fragile child in pain. The tough as nails part is what you wear on the outside to keep everyone from knowing your other feelings. You 'conceal, don't feel' too well. I am sorry for foisting that on you. You said to me that that phrase was only good in a political situation or a fight where someone might take advantage of you._

 _Well, I daresay you were correct._

 _Your father,_

 _Agdar.'_

A wide smile spread across Elsa's face as she slowly folded the letter back up. "Anna, what d'you say this is Dad's version of an apology?" Elsa fully understood why her father hadn't said any of those things verbally to her face; she wouldn't have wanted to explain, either. "I feel really bad for Ingrid," she added softly. "She just needed someone like you to fix her, just like I needed you." _That could have been me…but Anna gave me hope. She gave me a reason to live when I didn't have anything else…_ Elsa looked hopefully up at Anna. "Do you think Dad will let me have a hug now?"

Anna hesitated and just hugged her sister tighter. "I don't know, Elsa." _I can't just say 'yes' and risk Elsa getting all disappointed again…_

"Well, I hope he will; I just shan't let myself be too hopeful," Elsa decided. "Anna…I'm so glad I got to come back to you," she added. "Being free of pain or sadness felt wonderful, but…but here I have you. I feel like…like you erase those things. You can't 'fix' me entirely from hurting inside, or erase this" Elsa held up her left wrist, exposing the nearly invisible scar there, "or heal my leg completely. But you do make it so those things don't matter. You healed that little girl from believing no one could love or care for her. I still don't understand _why_ you love and care about me, but I do know and trust that you won't…abandon me or hurt me." She paused as she gave her sister a hug herself, and then abruptly tried a stifle a giggle. "And yet you don't treat me like a pitiful kicked puppy, either! I think I wouldn't mind that _sometimes_ -you kind of _had_ to treat me that way right after the Great Thaw-but you do let me do things on my own. Well, you do most of the time."

"Stinker." Anna lightly bopped Elsa on the shoulder, which made Elsa drop a tiny piece of ice down her sister's back…which made Anna hop up squealing and drop Elsa right onto the floor.

Elsa propped herself up on one elbow and covered her mouth with her other hand in a very unsuccessful attempt to hide her giggles. "You look like you have ants in your pants!" she teased.

Anna gave her a rather superior look. "I am not wearing pants. I am wearing a dress," she announced loudly.

"Well, 'dress' didn't rhyme," Elsa replied, still giggling.

"You know what, Elsa?" Anna asked as she plopped down on the floor next to her sister. "I didn't really want to celebrate Christmas 'til you were completely better, but-"

"But let's go ahead and have Christmas now," Elsa interrupted, smiling. Elsa's face suddenly crumpled when she realized she didn't have Christmas presents for anyone. _The time I would have spent buying or making Christmas presents was when I was sick…_ "I don't have presents for you or anyone else," she mumbled.

"Yes, you do! _You_. You're a present. The best present ever," Anna told her as she gently scooped her sister up and held her close. "We all _lost_ you, Elsa. And we got you back. That's the best present you could ever give."

 **A/N: So Elsa's back! She's still really weak and she needs to regain her strength, but she's back.:)**

 **Yes, Marshmallow and Rania sacrificed themselves to give Elsa her life back. It was the only logical way I thought Elsa could come back, really.:P**

 **Now we know about Ingrid and why Agdar didn't/doesn't like Elsa's powers.**

 **Last chapter coming soon!:)**


	30. Merry Christmas, Elsa!

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing!:)**

 **Thanks to bananas-rule-2015 for beta-ing!:)**

 **raven678-Yep, Elsa's safe!:) (Although technically she would have been perfectly safe even if she hadn't come back.:))**

 **Elsa Tomago-I'm glad you liked it! I like having the one-shots connect with the multi-chaps so there's not just a bunch of flashback scenes in the longer stories; the one-shots can stand on their own if need be.:) Yeah...Elsa's being too nice in my opinion, but I can't see her reacting any other way.:/**

 **QueenIcelandia-Yes, Elsa is alive.:) I wouldn't write a sequel without Elsa.:P (Although I suppose it'd be kinda interesting if Elsa was able to help Anna anyway, like she's a guardian angel for her little sister or something...I don't know.) Anyways, yes, Elsa's back!**

 **Mandy-The school stuff comes first, sadly.:P It's totally fine, I understand.:) Elsa had meningitis, and there are a LOT of aftereffects someone can get from that. So yes, Elsa's hearing issue is from her being so sick. (And it's temporary, by the way.:) At least in my story.:P) I thought it was about time Agdar treated Elsa better.:/ I mean, he _lost_ her temporarily, so now he realizes just what he's done. Yay, I'm glad you liked the story behind Elsa's name! That's just my personal headcanon; and it makes Agdar slightly less of a creep.:/ Elsa's still pretty messed up physically-like Rania said, she and Marshmallow were able to give Elsa her life back, but they couldn't heal her. No worries though, Elsa _will_ be fine eventually.:) I'm glad you like the one-shot/multi-chap connections!:) Oh, I'll update it eventually!:) I just have to be in a really happy mood to write little Elsa and Anna before the accident; and I'm kinda, well...not.:/ Anyways...**

 **Dragonheart35-Lol, I'm glad you liked Ingrid Yes, Agdar is finally treating Elsa better. And knows he's abused her and that it's mostly his fault Elsa acts like she does sometimes.:/ Ugh, don't get me started.-_- I don't like Jelsa. I hate it! Only redeeming quality is that it's not Helsa.:P ELSA IS FINE BEING SINGLE!:)**

 **On to the last chapter!:)**

Elsa just sat stretched out comfortably on a sofa in the library, smiling as she watched the rest of her family finish decorating the Christmas tree. "No, no, Anna, you do it yourself," she insisted for the fourth time. "You are not going to not decorate the tree because you're carrying me. I'm…I'm happy right here." _That's the truth. I'm happy right here._

Anna frowned but didn't press the issue further. She hung up one last ornament and then whispered in her mother's ear. "You or Dad ask Elsa if she wants to put the star on top of the tree. Please? I know it would be technically my turn this year if we were still alternating all that time, but I think Elsa should get to do it." _Elsa deserves to get to do that several times over. Literally._

"Anna thinks you should put the star on the tree, Elsa," Idun told Elsa.

Elsa's lightly freckled face lit up. "I get to put the star on the tree? I think it's Anna's turn…" she paused, thinking for a moment, "yes, it's Anna's turn."

Anna shook her head hard. "Then pretend it's a Christmas present just for you," she said firmly. "Here, let me help you."

"Let me try by myself first," Elsa said softly. She slowly swung her legs to the floor and started trying to get herself to her feet. Elsa smiled once she realized she had actually stood up on her own. _I feel all wobbly and shaky and weak, but I feel much better. Much, much better._

"Elsa, will you please quit straining yourself? Sit down," Agdar said with a frown just as Elsa tried to take a step…and immediately collapsed to the floor. _Pick her up. Pick Elsa up. She may be defective, but she's still just a young girl. Pick her up. She has feelings._

On impulse, Agdar ran and scooped Elsa up, and was surprised at how light she was…and the fact that she wasn't freezing cold to touch. She was just cool.

Elsa squeaked in surprise when her father picked her up. "P…Papa?" she asked incredulously. "You…you're _holding_ me? Me?" She bit her lip as she clasped her hands together close against her chest. _Can't mess up; can't mess up. Why's he holding me? Am I dreaming? If I'm not dreaming, what's going on? Why?_

"I will not lose you again with you thinking your own father dislikes you and whatever else." Agdar's voice remained a flat monotone, but Elsa caught something different in her father's eyes.

 _Love? Dad…Papa…cares about me? Enough to pick me up after I fell? He's not looking all disgusted with me?_ "I…I'm…you're not…mad at me anymore?" she asked hesitantly. Elsa tilted her head to one side in confusion, letting a few platinum curls fall across her embarrassed face. She looked down at her hands and then glanced at her braced leg for a moment before looking back up at her father. "You…y-you don't mind I have to wear a brace on my leg? Or my ice powers? Are you going t-to…hurt me again?"

Anna scowled but said nothing. _Poor Elsa doesn't know what to think…Dad's_ always _abused her and now she can't believe anything else can possibly be true._

"I am not mad at you," Agdar told Elsa, making sure to speak louder than usual to make sure she would understand properly. He almost added that Elsa was twenty-one years old and the queen and therefore should get all that hair out of her face, but kept his mouth shut. _She's hiding behind those platinum curls of hers._ "Elsa…" Agdar pushed Elsa's long curls away from her face and just held her close to his chest. "Elsa…" _What do I tell her? You can't just erase years of abuse with a hug. I don't even like hugging. But…Elsa needs it. She needs everyone around her to let her know they care about her._ "I am not going to hurt you, Elsa. Not again."

When Elsa felt a gentle kiss right on top of her head, it was all just too much for her. She buried her face in her father's jacket as tears streamed down her cheeks, her hands balled up clutching fistfuls of the fabric. "Papa…l-loves…me…" she stammered, trying to keep from hiccupping and sobbing any more than she already was. _He prob'ly still thinks I'm messed up and defective, but he cares about me anyway,_ she thought happily.

 _Do not tell Elsa to stop bawling. Let her cry. She's hurting and she's trying to let it out, most likely. Or she's happy…_ Agdar had no idea how to handle Elsa's outburst, so he simply sat down on the sofa holding her and said nothing. This was the little girl hidden underneath that carefully neutral expression derived from 'conceal, don't feel', those gloves stifling her powers, and everything else. _Wait a minute…those gloves didn't stifle her powers. They were a psychological crutch to her. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to break those shackles in the dungeon._ Agdar glanced at Elsa's bad leg with that brace forcing it to stay awkwardly straight; then shook his head and abruptly looked away. _Ignore. Ignore, ignore. It doesn't bother Elsa much; don't let it bother you._

Elsa sensed her father's unease as her happy and relieved cries quieted. "Dad…Papa…I…I'm…it's okay. Everything's okay," she said softly. _Papa's_ holding _me. Me. He's holding me! Not…hurting me and thinking I'm awful and messed up and whatever else…_

Agdar roughly shook Elsa's shoulders, which startled Elsa and made ice crackle on her palms. "No, Elsa, it is _not_ ok! How is that" he pointed at her leg, "or this" he pointed at the ice on her hands, "ok? How are those things ok?! None of it is ok! I probably permanently scarred and damaged you inside for goodness sakes! That is not all right!"

"But Papa…wait, please just listen," Elsa pleaded, trying to get her father to calm down…which Elsa found ironic. "Please? Look, my ice powers have _always_ been a part of me. They are not a curse…they're a…a gift," she said, recalling the words she had heard so recently. "They're just, well… _me_. They're part of 'just plain Elsa'. And okay…my leg doesn't work right and it's a bit hard to walk wearing a brace. It's fine. I wasn't born like that; it wasn't a 'just plain Elsa' characteristic; but it is now. I couldn't even _walk_ before…personally I would rather be able to limp about than be in a wheelchair; although I know I still would have been fine anyhow either way." _That's the truth. I know I would have been fine, but I'm so glad Grand Pabbie was sort of able to heal me. I acted awfully immature and silly at first…I didn't want that thing on my leg, which was sort of ungrateful if you think about it…_

"Why are you so optimistic now?" Agdar asked.

"Anna," Elsa replied simply. "She gives me hope every day, and I don't think she even tries to. She's just naturally hopeful and optimistic. I'm not…I think I'll always be a slight pessimist at heart because being realistic means being cynical. It's like…like when the sun's shining and yet it's also raining and that makes the sky look pretty. But you have to have both the sunshine _and_ the rain to do that. Anna's the sunshine. I'm the rain." Elsa gave her father a lopsided smile as she added, "And I was just thinking…even a thunderstorm can be pretty. Just watch the light show all the lightning gives. It can even be destructive, but it still looks wonderful up in the sky." _That…that's like my powers, sort of! Potentially dangerous but beautiful in their own way._

Agdar abruptly stood up, just put Elsa down on the sofa, and strode to the opposite side of the room to look out the window. "Stop being so accepting of everything, you stupid girl," he practically growled.

Elsa flinched and looked at Anna in confusion. _Why did he call me stupid?_

Anna plopped down next to her sister and put both arms around her and just hugged her tightly. "It's all right, Elsa," she said right in Elsa's ear. _He just doesn't know what to do with her. Elsa just being…Elsa, being all nice like she is, probably makes Dad just feel worse, I bet._

Elsa didn't reply for a minute; she just stayed right where she was with her chin resting on her sister's shoulder as she watched her father over by the window. _I wonder if Dad…Papa was really mad at me. 'Cause I didn't do anything that could have possibly made him mad._ "Anna…I'm not stupid," she said finally. _What did I say that for?!_

Agdar strode back over to the sofa, just picked Elsa up, and put the star for the tree in her hands. "You are stupid for accepting everything like you do, Elsa. Other than that, you are quite smart," he told her flatly.

Elsa smiled as her father carried her over to the Christmas tree and held her up so she could put the sparkling star on the tree. "M-May…may I…add something of my own?" she asked hopefully, not entirely sure what answer she would receive. _Please? Tiny little shining icicles would look so pretty reflecting with the candles…_

Agdar frowned and didn't reply for a moment. "Not while I am holding you." He gently set her down on the carpet and moved a few feet away from her. "Now decorate to your heart's content."

Elsa's expression was absolutely overjoyed as she just sat on the carpet looking at the tree for a moment. Then she happily flicked her fingers and almost instantly the tree was surrounded by a magical icy blue glow. When the glow faded, tiny prism-icicles dangled all over the branches, doubling and tripling shimmering flames from the candles. _That tree looks beautiful. My first Christmas since I was tiny that we're all together celebrating Christmas together…my very first family Christmas! I have my baby sister_ and _my parents with me._ She spotted Gerda and Kai in the library doorway holding a large box with a beaming Kiara standing between them. "What's in the box?" Elsa asked curiously.

Anna grinned as she watched Elsa gazing intently at that box, trying to see what was inside. "It's a super awesome present, that's what," Anna announced.

Elsa yelped in surprise when the box appeared to open by itself and a small black and white kitten leaped out. "Kittens?! Is it for me? A kitten? I get to have a pet cat?" _Anna got me a pet I can keep?! She got me a kitten? I don't want to hurt it…it's so little…_ The little kitten batted at one of the tiny icicles on a low branch on the tree. "May I name it?" Elsa whispered, still unsure whether to try to hold the kitten or not. A kitten was not a snow wolf; Elsa was afraid she would be too cold for the little cat.

Anna picked up the kitten and put it on her sister's lap. "She's yours, Elsa. You can name her whatever you want," she assured Elsa.

Elsa hesitantly touched the kitten's head with one finger. "She's so soft…her fur is all silky," she said to no one in particular. "Kolfinnia," Elsa announced a few seconds later. "That's her name…she has a white tummy, so…Kolfinnia. That sounds pretty." She suddenly thought of something else, and added, "Gerda, will you take me back to my room? I do have one thing I want to do for Anna."

"Certainly, Miss Elsa." Gerda easily picked the slender girl up and carried her back down the hall.

* * *

"D'you think this will make Anna happy?" Elsa asked a few minutes later as she held on to the bedpost to keep herself on her feet. She couldn't walk by herself yet, but she could stand up as long as she was holding and leaning on something. Elsa glanced down at her cranberry red Christmas dress Anna had given her when she was sixteen. Unlike her sixteen-year-old self, present-day Elsa didn't mind her bare arms and shoulders showing. When Elsa had tried to wear this dress when she was younger, she had put a cloak on top of it because she felt so self-conscious.

Gerda looked critically at Elsa and just smiled at her. "Well, it's too late now, but remind me to let the hem down a bit. You're slightly taller than you were at sixteen. But you look quite pretty, Miss Elsa. I'm sure your sister will be happy you're wearing that dress again. Would you like to put different ribbons in your hair to match that dress?"

Elsa nodded. "Green ones, please," she replied as she practically fell into her desk chair. "I'm sorry I'm so clumsy at the moment," Elsa added ruefully.

"Don't apologize, Miss Elsa," Gerda said firmly. She quickly put the green ribbons Elsa had handed her in Elsa's hair and then just picked her up again.

"Gerda, will you help me try to walk back to the library instead of carrying me?" Elsa asked. "Please?" _Not to mention, I know I don't weigh much, but Gerda probably shouldn't be carrying a hundred pounds around…I probably don't even weigh that at the moment, but still._

Gerda hesitated, but gently set Elsa down and stayed right next to her to support her. "If you start having trouble, I'm going to carry you whether you like it or not, Queen Elsa." She did not care if Elsa was the queen; she was not going to risk Elsa hurting herself.

Elsa still felt weak and shaky standing up, but with Gerda's help, she slowly made her way down the hall. One step on her right foot, and then she would drag her bad leg forward to catch up. Elsa bit her lip when she stumbled and would have fallen if Gerda hadn't been helping her. "I can do it," she insisted when Gerda tried to pick her up.

"Miss Elsa, you're too weak still. You're going to hurt yourself," Gerda told her gently. "None of us want to lose you again."

"I can do it myself," Elsa said again, although she also thanked Gerda for helping her. _If I don't do it myself, I won't ever get all the way better…_

* * *

Elsa had just made it to the library doors when she simply collapsed to the floor on her back, her blue eyes fluttering shut. "I fell," Elsa heard herself say.

Gerda shook her head and just strained to scoop the exhausted girl up. "You push yourself far too much, Miss Elsa…you need to rest."

Elsa spotted Anna through half-lidded eyes and mumbled, "I walked all th' way down the hall, Anna. Gerda helped me."

Anna knelt beside her sister before Gerda could actually pick Elsa up. "You should have waited 'til you were stronger, you stinker," she scolded. Anna helped Elsa sit up and just hugged her close. "Come on, let's get you back sitting comfy on the sofa, 'kay?"

Elsa nodded and let Anna pick her up since she really was exhausted. _I know I probably shouldn't have tried to walk down the hall so soon, but I'm not particularly sorry I did…_ "I want Kolfinnia, please," Elsa said. She smiled when the black and white kitten voluntarily jumped right on her lap. "I love my Christmas present," she added quietly. "She's so cute, and…and she's not scared of me, either…"

Elsa yelped when a very startled Kolfinnia leaped out of her arms because Anna had plopped down on the sofa and scared the kitten. "You scared my kitten!" Elsa complained. "I just wanted to hold her."

Agdar retrieved the kitten and held it out at arm's length to Elsa. "Why you like mischievous little creatures around so much I will never know. Here, take your cat."

Elsa was only too eager to take Kolfinnia and just hold her close. The kitten seemed to like Elsa's demeanor on instinct; this human was nice and she pet her, but she was also calm and not chasing her around like the two younger girls-Anna and Kiara-in the castle tended to do.

Anna smiled as she watched the usually lively kitten curl up on her sister's lap and almost immediately go to sleep. _Elsa looks so happy. She looks tired, but she's also very happy. I knew she would like that kitten, but I didn't know she would like Kolfinnia this much. And Elsa's wearing her Christmas dress! That's what she went back to her room for. This is the first time I've seen Elsa_ happy _when she's wearing that dress. And she didn't put a silly cloak on top of it either._

"Best Christmas present ever," Elsa whispered to no one in particular.

"Kolfinnia?" Anna asked as she sat down next to her sister.

Elsa shook her head and scowled as she started pulling on her skirt. "Anna, you're sitting on my dress. Get up for a second. Please." She scooted closer to her sister, still holding her kitten, and just sat contentedly with Anna's arm around her shoulders. _My whole family is together for the first time for Christmas in thirteen years…forever._ Elsa glanced at her parents and gave them a hesitantly hopeful smile as she patted the sofa beside her. "Please?" she asked.

Idun gave her husband a push and practically dragged him over to the sofa. "You sit with our daughters and give them a hug," she whispered in Agdar's ear. "Especially Elsa. She needs it."

Agdar's expression remained neutral, but he awkwardly gave Elsa a hug before moving to the far end of the sofa and staring straight ahead. _Elsa would almost be easier to deal with if she_ was _bitter and angry. But no…she's just a grown-up and much happier version of that scared little girl from before. Why couldn't I see what was happening to her? Just blinded by thinking she was always going to be outed and cursed for having those powers of hers, and then I did that very thing to her myself. Elsa might have the potential to be dangerous, but she's still just a human girl._ Agdar remembered the last time he had seen Elsa before that 'two-week' trip. Just a depressed and terrified teenage girl. Anna had outright warned him and Idun that Elsa had been considering suicide. And then rather than talking to Elsa about it, he had brushed it off and said 'let's not put the idea back in her head'. _That idea was already in her head. Receiving news her parents had died-which was false anyway!-pushed her over the edge. And why was_ that _the last straw?! Elsa would have had every right to be happy we were gone…_

Elsa put Kolfinnia on her sister's lap and struggled to stand up on her shaky legs. "Papa…? You…y-you don't have to beat yourself up for the past…I know doing that makes you feel awful inside," she said quietly. "I…it's…I'm okay."

Agdar realized Elsa was about to collapse because her legs wouldn't support her anymore and abruptly jumped to his feet and hugged her tightly. "You are not going to fall again. Not physically. Not emotionally either," he said flatly. Agdar gently took Elsa's left hand and turned it palm up, exposing her wrist.

Elsa knew exactly what her father was looking at and turned her face away as she tried unsuccessfully to free her hand. "You can hardly see it," she whispered. "Just…leave it be. Let it go. That was three years ago, Papa."

 _She has a permanent scar on her wrist because of that…_ "Why did you attempt suicide just because you received word your parents were dead, Elsa?" Agdar asked. "You had every right to be pleased about such a thing."

"I love you, Papa. Even if you were mean to me," Elsa replied instantly, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears. "And besides…I just felt so, so _tired._ Everything hurt, a-and…and I just wanted it to stop. I couldn't see any other way…also I thought I didn't deserve Anna still caring about me and I didn't deserve or want to live and I thought she would be better off without her dangerous freak sister. I think I was just really messed up inside. But I'm okay now." _I think…_ Elsa scrunched her eyes shut to keep from crying; then smiled a bit when she felt two strong arms just _holding_ her. _My daddy is holding me._ Me. _He's holding me…_

Anna jumped to her feet and put her own arms around Elsa too. "You are not and were not a dangerous freak, Elsa," she said firmly.

Elsa inexplicably began giggling when she realized what was happening. _My family is hugging me and I'm not scared. I'm perfectly happy._ "If this were happening six months ago, all of you would be literal ice cubes!" she exclaimed.

Everyone else froze-figuratively!-for a moment and then just laughed. "You have an _awful_ sense of humor, Elsa!" Anna teased.

Elsa giggled and tossed her platinum curls. "I know. That's my special talent. An awful, horrible sense of humor. And this…" she stealthily dropped a bit of snow down her sister's back.

Anna squealed. "ELSA! You did _not_ just do that! Get it off get it off! Cold, cold, cold!" She yelped in surprise when a second snowball dropped right on her head. "Stinker! Elsa's a big fat stinker! I'm gonna get you, Elsa!"

Elsa clumsily stumbled backwards away from Anna, still half giggling. Anna did look rather funny hopping around with snow on her head. "You wouldn't try to get revenge on your big sister when she can barely stand up, would you?" Elsa quipped.

"I would when she drops snow on my head!" Anna hesitated when she realized Elsa wasn't kidding, even if she was joking around. She really couldn't stand up by herself very well-she was leaning heavily on the furniture to keep herself on her feet. "Elsa…maybe you ought to sit down," Anna said in a more serious voice.

Elsa shook her head. "I'm okay. Are you scared I'm going to drop more snow on you?" _I'll be fine…I can always just make sure I go to sleep early tonight._

Anna yelped again when another pile of snow fell on her head. "Elsa! You stop that! How did you even do that? I didn't even see you move your hands!"

"Like this." Elsa demonstrated the same thing again, but this time she dropped the snow on Kiara instead. All Elsa had done was flick her fingers ever so slightly in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it motion.

Kiara had no such qualms about chasing her friend. Elsa wasn't ill anymore; she was just tired. She chased after Elsa and easily tackled her to the floor. "Anna, get your sister!" she squealed when Elsa kept spraying snowflakes in her face even though she couldn't stand back up.

"Anna! No tickles! Get off me!" Elsa squealed between giggles. "Quit it, you stinker!"

* * *

Soon Elsa simply ran out of energy and just lay limply on the floor, but she was still smiling. She felt Anna helping her sit up and just gave her little sister a hug. "Thank you, Anna. Thank you for everything."

Anna just gave her sister a reassuring squeeze and didn't let go. "I'm so glad you're my sister," she announced. "You make me happy, Elsa." _I think Elsa's perfect. Absolutely perfect. And I still can't believe I really, truly have my sweet big sister back. She's not going anywhere. Invincible together, just like Elsa told me._

"A depressing person makes you happy?" Elsa asked, giving Anna a lopsided smile. _Why would I make her happy? Anna has to literally drag me around and take care of me. She's silly. I don't understand why she even loves and cares about me. I mean…I know she does; I trust her to do so, but I don't understand why._

"I don't think you're a depressing person, Elsa. Actually, I think you're quite the opposite. I bet if you wrote a 'Story of My Life' book, people would read it and think you're actually a…a…oh, I don't know what the right word is. A symbol of hope, that's what. Yeah, that's perfect! 'Cause you're still… _you_. You'd give anyone else who's ever had problems with depression or was abused in the past or whatever else hope. That it's possible to get better and feel happy again," Anna explained.

Elsa shook her head ruefully, still not quite understanding her sister's point of view. "Anna, you're crazy! Don't you understand? I'm just…just me. Just a little…" she trailed off, suddenly realizing Anna would be upset with her if she finished that thought aloud.

"Little what?" Anna asked as she gently pulled her sister onto her lap and just held her tightly. She frowned when she saw tears slowly trickling down Elsa's cheeks. _What's wrong with Elsa? What's she thinking about?_ "Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna asked gently.

Elsa's pale face scrunched up as she tried to stop her tears from falling. "I…I'm…I can't give anyone else hope. I can barely give _myself_ hope…I need you. You can't tell me you really think an eighteen-year-old girl who attempted suicide can give anyone else hope. That isn't logical, I-"

"On the contrary, it's _very_ logical! That's one reason you ARE a…an inspir-inspirational sort of person!" Anna insisted.

"Anna, do you realize how purely worthless Elsa is if you don't include her powers?" Elsa asked. "Without them I'm just…just a nearly helpless little girl. S-something you could throw away and not need anymore…I…Anna, I'm sorry! I'm messing up Christmas again!" Elsa tried to move away from her little sister, but Anna just held her tighter.

"Elsa, stop this right now!" Anna exclaimed. "Look, I love your powers-they're awesome!-but I'd love you just as much if you didn't have them." She felt her sister trembling in her arms as she tried not to cry; and just squeezed Elsa closer. "You're fine, sis. Just fine. You haven't messed up anything." _What's happening to my sweet big sister? This is not her present self. I don't understand…_

 _'Something only Elsa can protect Arendelle from' means I'm supposed to use my powers to do that. I know it does. That means I'm useless aside from that one characteristic,_ Elsa couldn't help thinking. "Anna, you manage to be useful and you haven't got any special powers," she whispered.

"Listen to me, Elsa. You're being ridiculous," Anna said loudly and firmly. "Your powers just make a girl who's already special even more special than she already is. You love your family, friends, and country. You are an excellent writer, even if you aren't so good at public speaking. You forgive everyone who's hurt you. And on a really, really shallow and silly note, you're pretty, Elsa. I can think of a zillion other things that make you valuable that aren't your powers. Come on, sis. Look at your present self. You're so, so, so much better than eighteen-year-old you…actually, even the you from right after the Great Thaw, really. I know you, Elsa. You've healed inside lots. I can tell there's still marks inside you that still hurt sometimes, but you're _better_. You're _happy_. Well, most of the time you are. And not…s-suicidal. I still think you ought to have a higher opinion of yourself than you do, a much, much higher opinion, actually…but yeah." Anna remembered the little snowflake necklace around her neck and suddenly unclasped it and held it out to her sister. "Here, Elsa. Look what you yourself engraved on this."

"No fear. Love equals freedom," Elsa whispered, hesitantly touching the tiny snowflake with one finger. _It's the truth. It sounds a bit…saccharine, but it's true._

Anna smiled and pressed the necklace into her sister's hand. "I love that necklace so much, but I want you to keep it. You need that message, Elsa."

Elsa fastened the little snowflake pendant around her own neck as she gave Anna a lopsided smile. "I have a better idea. We can _both_ have it." She carefully made an exact copy of the necklace and gave it to her sister. "There."

"Invincible together?"

Elsa nodded. "Invincible together." Elsa somehow knew right that second that no matter what happened in the future, no matter what this danger was that she was supposed to protect Arendelle from; she would always remain invincible. A strong icy fortress that she only allowed certain people to see the sometimes conflicted inside of. She knew she still needed to physically recover from her illness, but that would just take time. That didn't matter. Those still not quite healed marks in her mind and heart didn't matter either. Even if they never completely disappeared, Elsa knew now there was one place where they would be gone for good. _I can deal with them until then. I have Anna._

With her family and friends by her side, Elsa knew she could do anything. _Invincible together. What a wonderful phrase._

 **The end.**

 **for now...:)**

* * *

 **A/N: While this story is over, there's still things that haven't been taken care of.:) Hans is still in the dungeon. Kiara doesn't know if she's staying in Arendelle or returning home. Anna and Kiara haven't told anyone about the trolls' missing power crystals. And Elsa still needs to recover. Guess what all that means? *pauses dramatically* Sequel time!:)**

 **By the way, if anyone thinks Elsa is acting a little 'off' for her present-day self, that's because she _is_. According to what I read online about meningitis (assuming the article was accurate:P), it can cause a lot of serious aftereffects, including depression and emotional problems. Since Elsa has had issues with that in the past, I thought it made sense for her to be susceptible to it. That's why Elsa started getting all upset like that, when that probably would not have happened before she got sick. **

**Anyways...please look for the sequel, "Changing Family Tides," coming soon!:) And as usual...it WILL have a happy ending.:)**


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